iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-
The family of an Indian-origin man, a resident of New Jersey, who suffered grievous brain injuries in a road rage shooting in Camden County in May this year has sued 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 was quoted in a report on Fox5.
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 added. Tran was arrested in June and is 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. NYPD officer Hieu Tran, 27, is facing attempted murder charges for allegedly shooting another man in what officials say appears to have been a road rage incident in New Jersey last month.
On May 17, Tran from Yonkers 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. 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.
Though 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 was 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.
About Patel, his mother told Fox5: “He really enjoyed his life, he worked really hard. He’s a great son, a great brother.” 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.