The family of a paralyzed New Jersey man is suing the New York police officer accused of shooting him during a road rage incident as well as the city of New York, other members of the New York City Police Department and New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
On Friday, May 17, 2024, police responded to a multi-vehicle crash at the intersection of Route 73 and Cooper Road in Voorhees Township, New Jersey. When they arrived, they found Kishan Patel, 30, of Voorhees, suffering from a gunshot wound. Patel was taken to the hospital for treatment.
After analyzing surveillance video, cellphone records and ballistics evidence, Voorhees Township Police and the Camden County Prosecutor's Office identified Hieu Tran, 27, of Yonkers, New York, as the suspect in the shooting. Police said Tran – an officer with the New York City Police Department – used his department-issued firearm and shot Patel during an apparent road rage incident.
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“Kishan – while he was in the car when he shot him – Kishan let go of his gas,” Patel’s mother, Manjina Patel, said. “He hit five oncoming cars! And this police officer just drove away.”
Investigators said Tran was off-duty at the time of the incident and had just left a wedding in the area. After the shooting, Tran “calmly drove north, stopped for gas, went home to New York, reloaded his weapon and went to work the next day," according to attorneys for Patel's family.
Investigators said shell casings at the crime scene matched Tran’s department-issued service weapon.
More than two weeks after the shooting, Tran was arrested at his workplace on Thursday, June 6, 2024, and charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose. Tran pleaded not guilty to the charges and remains in custody in Camden County, New Jersey.
Family members said the shooting caused Patel to suffer cardiac arrest, a brain injury and a broken vertebra. Patel is currently a paraplegic, has limited brain function and was transferred to a Texas facility for specialized treatment, according to his family.
On Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024, Patel’s family – currently represented by Philadelphia-based attorney Joseph M. Marrone -- filed a lawsuit against Tran, New York City, New York City Police Commissioner Edward Caban, multiple unnamed NYPD officers and New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
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The lawsuit claims Tran had significant mental health challenges and struggles with alcoholism but was still accepted into the New York City Police Department and armed with a service pistol despite those issues.
Tran was deemed a “problem officer” who needed to be taken “off the street,” according to the lawsuit.
“After serving in Harlem for less than three years, Officer Tran was transferred to the office of the Deputy Commissioner of Public Information (“DCPI”),” the lawsuit states. “This is a well-known repository for NYPD employees who have committed acts of misconduct but, for some reason, are not removed from the NYPD altogether.”
The lawsuit states Tran was not suspended from the police force and was not required to surrender his 9mm service pistol despite being transferred. The lawsuit also states Tran used that same service pistol to shoot Patel.
The lawsuit also alleges Tran’s superiors in the NYPD were aware of Tran’s issues following a psychological report. According to the lawsuit, Tran’s commanding officer told him to get treatment for his alcoholism but Tran never did.
The lawsuit also named Commissioner Caban and Mayor Adams as partially responsible due to their roles as NYPD policymakers.
“The failure of the Defendant City of New York ("City") and the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”) to adopt and/or enforce adequate policies, procedures, and practices to address a longstanding problem of alcohol and substance abuse by its police officers, while both on-duty and off-duty, constituted deliberate indifference and was a proximate cause of Plaintiffs’ injuries,” the lawsuit states.
NBC10 reached out to Tran’s attorney for comment.
“While the injuries to Mr. Patel are sad and unfortunate and Mr. Tran continues to pray for him, Mr. Tran maintains his innocence of these charges, there is much more to the story than what has been reported," a spokesperson wrote.
NBC News 4 New York also reached out to Mayor Adams' office and the NYPD for comment. A police spokesperson said they would not comment due to the pending litigation. We have not yet heard back from Mayor Adams' office.
