Overview
- Ramsey County charged Michael Kentrell Smith with criminal vehicular homicide in the Nov. 13 collision that killed 30-year-old Amber Deneen at St. Anthony Avenue and Aldine Street.
- Investigators say video placed a Chevrolet Suburban registered to Smith near the scene, and a plastic vehicle piece recovered at the intersection matched damage on his SUV.
- Surveillance from a nearby Speedway allegedly showed Smith arriving minutes after the crash and inspecting his front passenger tire before going into the store.
- Witnesses reported the SUV slowed but did not fully stop at the crosswalk, then accelerated through and left without stopping as bystanders honked and shouted.
- According to the complaint, Smith told police he thought he hit bike-lane cones and cited a past brain injury affecting his memory, though investigators say the damage pattern conflicts with that claim; he was arrested two days after the crash and is due for an initial court appearance.