NJ family files lawsuit after man left paralyzed in NYPD road rage shooting
Family sues after man shot by off-duty NYPD officer
Thirty-year old Kishan Patel suffered serious brain injuries in a shooting last May in Camden County and his family is now demanding justice. FOX 5 NY’s Stephanie Bertini has more on what they’re asking for and what they want from the off-duty police officer accused of the shooting.
NEW JERSEY - The family of a New Jersey man, left paralyzed after a suspected road rage shooting, is suing New York City.
Kishan Patel, 30, was left quadriplegic with severe brain injuries after allegedly being shot by an off-duty NYPD officer in Camden County last May.
"He randomly shot into his van, causing him horrific, horrific injuries," Attorney Joseph Marrone says.
Kishan Patel, 30, was left quadriplegic with severe brain injuries after allegedly being shot by an off-duty NYPD officer in Camden County last May.
The Camden County Prosecutor's Office said ballistics evidence from the scene linked NYPD officer Hieu Tran and his department-issued firearm to the shooting.
"This officer was referred to as a ticking time bomb," Marrone says.
Tran was taken into custody back in June facing attempted murder and other charges. He's been suspended from the NYPD without pay.
At his detention hearing, it was determined that Tran had significant substance abuse issues and was dependent on alcohol, which his commanding officers were aware of.
NJ family lawsuit
The lawsuit identifies the victim, Patel, as an incapacitated person and his guardian, versus New York City officer Tran, Mayor Eric Adams and former Police Commissioner Edward Caban.
FOX 5 reached out to the city for comment and they declined.
The incident was initially considered to be a road rage incident by investigators. The lawsuit says New York knew that Tran had significant mental health challenges with long-standing alcoholism, and yet somehow was accepted into the NYPD and armed with a service.
The lawsuit says that Tran soon became a "problem officer" who needed to be "taken off the street." It also notes that after serving in Harlem for less than three years, Tran was transferred to the office of the Deputy Commissioner of Public Information.
"He really enjoyed his life, he worked really hard. He's a great son, a great brother," his mother said.
What happened to Kishan Patel?
On May 17, Hieu Tran, 27, from Yonkers, allegedly used his service weapon to shoot a 30-year-old driver on May 17, according to Voorhees Township Police Department.
During an initial investigation, evidence collected from the scene was consistent with Tran’s department-issued firearm.
Through surveillance video, cell phone records, and ballistics evidence, detectives determined that Tran was responsible for shooting the victim during the alleged road rage incident.
Sister station FOX 29 reported that Patel was rushed to Cooper University Hospital in Camden, where authorities said he was still receiving treatment nearly a month later.
Tran has also been charged with second-degree aggravated assault and second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose. He is being held in New York pending extradition to New Jersey.