Family, friends mourn Lindenhurst vape shop owner killed in his store

The owner of a Lindenhurst vape shop, described as a hard worker who had recently bought a home for his wife and two children, was killed inside his business Wednesday night, police said.

Kinshuk Patel, 33, of Babylon, was found injured in his store, the Dapper Smoke Shop, near Sunrise Highway, about 9:40 p.m. Wednesday after his family could not reach him, Suffolk police said in a news release. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The department's press office said he was "a victim of violence," but did not elaborate.

The wife of Kinshuk Patel, known to the family as "Mickey," had gone looking for him, said his uncle, Prateek Patel. "She found the car, Mickey wasn’t there, the store was open, we didn’t see anybody inside, she was scared to get in, finally cops came we went inside and found him laying around."

Inside the store, there were items scattered across the ground and shattered glass.

Outside Kinshuk Patel’s home on Independence Avenue in North Babylon, his aunt, Jaimini Patel, 37, said his death was a "big loss" for the family. He had just bought the home in 2020, she said.

Jaimini Patel said she was proud that her nephew owned a business and was able to purchase the house.

"He deserved all these things because he was a very good hard worker," she said, adding that Kinshuk Patel was "like my son," and had stayed with her when he first immigrated to the United States from India in 2014.

The uncle said his nephew was a "gentleman" and "very friendly" to customers at the Dapper Smoke Shop.

The family's neighbor James Simmons, who lives down the block, on Thursday afternoon stopped by the home to offer condolences and embrace the victim's father, Haresh Patel.

"I feel bad for the family," he said. "He was a really good guy."

With Cecilia Dowd

By Matthew Chayes

matthew.chayes@newsday.com,keldy.ortiz@newsday.comchayesmatthew,

Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.