Teen charged in death of homeless Kansas City man

Friday, October 30, 2009 | 10:19 a.m. CDT
BY The Associated Press

KANSAS CITY — A Kansas City, Kan., teenager has been charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of a homeless man who was left unconscious in a street and run over by a car.

Jackson County prosecutors filed the charges Thursday against Isaiah N. Betts, who was 16 at the time of the death. A judge also certified Betts to stand trial as an adult in the case.

Betts is accused of punching Dwayne E. Smith and leaving him unconscious in a downtown Kansas City street on April 1. Smith was later run over by a car.

Court records said Smith argued with two females who were on a metro bus with Betts and another male. After getting off the bus, Smith sat down at a bus shelter.

Surveillance cameras show two males walking toward Smith, who tried to walk away. The males stopped Smith in the street and one struck him in the head, knocking him down. Then the males walked away.

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