He Reported A Break-In At His Store. The 14-Year-Old He Ran Over Has Died.
On October 13, 2026, around 5:25 a.m., officers searching the area of Cocoanut Grove Avenue and Olive Grove Avenue in West Melbourne, Florida, following a reported attempted burglary discovered a 14-year-old boy lying unresponsive in a roadside ditch. Upon arrival, responding personnel determined that he had suffered serious injuries consistent with being struck by a vehicle. He was transported to Holmes Regional Medical Center in critical condition and later transferred to Orlando Health Children's Arnold Palmer Hospital, where he died from his injuries on October 17, 2026, at 11:46 p.m.
The victim was identified as 14-year-old Hunter Russey.
The investigation began around 4:32 a.m. on October 13, when officers responded to the Corner Store at 1100 South Wickham Road following a report of a possible burglary in progress. Officers arrived within four minutes and contacted the store owner, 32-year-old Kavan Vishnubhai Patel.
According to the arrest affidavit, Patel told officers that he received an alert from his alarm company around 4:21 a.m., notifying him of an attempted entry through the front door of his business. After checking the store's surveillance cameras, he noticed that the front glass door had been broken.
Patel, who lived a few minutes away, told investigators that he drove to the business to check on the property. Upon arriving, he reportedly encountered a male wearing a light-colored hoodie standing outside with an electric bicycle nearby.
According to Patel, the individual noticed him, mounted the bicycle and fled westbound on Sheridan Road. Patel initially told officers that he followed the individual in his vehicle but eventually lost sight of him.
While investigating the reported burglary, officers observed Patel outside the business examining damage to the front passenger side of his vehicle. However, Patel did not disclose that he had been involved in a collision.
Officers from the Brevard County Sheriff's Office and Melbourne Police Department assisted West Melbourne officers in searching the surrounding area for the individual seen leaving the business. The search involved a police K9 unit and the West Melbourne Police Department's Drone Unit.
Around 5:25 a.m., an officer located Hunter lying unresponsive in a ditch near Cocoanut Grove Avenue and Olive Grove Avenue. He appeared to have been struck by a vehicle and was suffering from serious bodily injuries.
Hunter was transported to Holmes Regional Medical Center, where he was listed in critical condition. Investigators later determined that he had suffered multiple skull fractures and other serious injuries.
Around 7:00 a.m., an officer responded to the area of Cocoanut Grove Avenue and Olive Grove Avenue to investigate a reported hit-and-run collision. By that time, Hunter had already been transported to the hospital.
During the investigation, patrol officers and crime scene personnel gathered evidence and located surveillance footage from a nearby property. The recording showed a vehicle traveling northbound on Cocoanut Grove Avenue and captured audio consistent with tire noises and a collision.
Immediately afterward, the vehicle entered the camera's view, followed by the sounds of additional impacts. Investigators determined that the secondary impacts occurred when the vehicle struck a mailbox and trash cans outside a residence.
Detectives established that the initial impact heard in the recording was consistent with the vehicle striking Hunter while he was riding his electric bicycle.
As investigators examined the footage and gathered information about the vehicle, they discovered that its description matched Patel's vehicle, which officers had previously observed with damage to the front passenger side.
Detectives returned to the convenience store and questioned Patel further about his movements after receiving the alarm notification.
During a subsequent conversation, when Patel was no longer in the presence of his wife, he provided investigators with additional information that contradicted his original account.
According to the arrest affidavit, Patel admitted that he followed the individual from his business to the area of Cocoanut Grove Avenue and intentionally struck him with his vehicle while he was riding the electric bicycle.
Patel told investigators that he was traveling around 30 mph when he struck Hunter, knocking him off the bicycle.
After the collision, Patel continued off the roadway before making a U-turn. He claimed that he returned to the area to determine where Hunter had landed but could not locate him.
Rather than contacting emergency services or reporting the collision, Patel left the area and returned to his business, where he contacted law enforcement about the attempted burglary.
Investigators determined that Patel withheld his involvement in the collision from the initial responding officers. He also failed to tell them where he had struck Hunter, preventing authorities from immediately connecting the reported burglary to the injured teenager.
As a result, officers initially continued searching for a suspected burglary suspect using a police K9 and drone without knowing that the person they were searching for had been struck by Patel's vehicle.
Hunter remained injured along the roadside for nearly an hour before an officer discovered him.
During his interview, Patel acknowledged that he knew he should have contacted law enforcement rather than striking the individual with his vehicle. He also admitted that he was angry at the time of the incident.
Investigators determined that Patel's statements, the surveillance evidence, the damage to his vehicle, and the severity of Hunter's injuries established probable cause for his arrest.
Authorities identified Patel's vehicle as a black 2016 Subaru.
On October 13, 2026, Patel was arrested and charged with aggravated battery and leaving the scene of a crash involving great bodily injury.
According to arrest records, he was taken into custody around 8:51 a.m. and subsequently booked into the Brevard County Jail, where he was initially held without bond.
On October 14, Patel appeared before a judge for his initial hearing. During the proceedings, the judge addressed the severity of the allegations, including that the victim was a juvenile who had suffered extensive injuries.
Patel's bond was set at $40,000, consisting of $25,000 for aggravated battery and $15,000 for leaving the scene of a crash involving serious bodily injury.
On October 15, 2026, Patel was released from the Brevard County Jail after posting bond. He was scheduled to return to court on November 10.
Meanwhile, Hunter remained hospitalized with severe injuries from the collision. Due to the extent of his injuries, he was transferred from Holmes Regional Medical Center to Orlando Health Children's Arnold Palmer Hospital in Orlando, where he was placed on life support.
Despite receiving around-the-clock medical care, Hunter's condition did not improve sufficiently for him to survive his injuries.
On October 17, 2026, Hunter's family made the decision to remove him from life support. He died at 11:46 p.m., four days after being struck by Patel's vehicle.
His family also made the decision to donate his organs to help others.
Following Hunter's death, detectives with the West Melbourne Police Department continued their investigation and obtained a new arrest warrant charging Patel with second-degree murder.
On October 18, 2026, shortly after 10 a.m., authorities located Patel and took him back into custody in connection with Hunter's death.
Patel was transported to the Brevard County Jail, where he was booked on the second-degree murder charge and ordered held without bond.
The West Melbourne Police Department publicly confirmed Hunter's death and released his identity with his family's permission.
Investigators also confirmed that the original aggravated battery investigation had developed into a homicide case following Hunter's death.
The investigation remains ongoing
