Family of Voorhees shooting victim sues New York City, Mayor Adams and NYPD officers, including alleged gunman

SOUTH JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — The family of a Camden County man allegedly shot by an off-duty New York City cop in May has sued the city, along with its mayor and police department officials.

Philadelphia attorney Joseph Marrone filed the $300 million civil suit on Tuesday, on behalf of 30-year-old Kishan Patel and his family.

Patel was shot in Voorhees Township along Route 73 on May 17 in an apparent road rage incident. Camden County authorities say former New York City police officer Hieu Tran, 27, shot Patel with his service weapon. While Patel survived, he lost the use of his arms and legs as a result of the shooting and needs 24/7 specialized medical care, his attorney says.

The suit, which also names Mayor Eric Adams, former Commissioner Edward Caban and several unidentified NYPD officers, accuses city and police leadership of failing to remove a “problem officer” who they knew had mental health and substance abuse problems.

Read the full complaint

Patel Complaint by Kristina Koppeser on Scribd

“They’re the ones who gave him the gun, and they’re the ones who didn’t think he was unfit to continue to have a gun,” Morrone said. “They also knew that something bad was going to happen. That was outlined also in that hearing, that he was a ticking time bomb.”

Tran was also named in the civil complaint, though Marrone says the city and police leadership failed to properly handle the issues that he was experiencing.

“When they have clear evidence that this person has significant alcohol problems, significant PTSD, significant drug use, whatever he may have, why didn’t they take the steps and why aren’t they taking the steps to remove them?”

The NYPD has declined to comment on the pending lawsuit.