A St. Paul, Minnesota, man is charged with criminal vehicular homicide in the hit-and-run crash that killed a 30-year-old woman on Thursday, court records said.

Michael Kentrell Smith, 39, was charged Monday with one count of criminal vehicular homicide in the fatal St. Paul collision. 

The criminal complaint said officers responded to the crash at the intersection of St. Anthony Avenue and Aldine Street around 5:14 p.m. They found the woman near a crosswalk who had difficulty breathing and an injured right leg. She was taken to the hospital where she later died.

Family has identified the woman as Amber Deneen. Her husband, Charles Deneen, told police that he and his wife were walking their two German shepherds in the area when they entered a crosswalk, charges said. Investigators found a plastic piece from the SUV at the scene.

A motorist, later identified as Smith, driving an SUV, allegedly slowed down while approaching a stop sign at the intersection, but did not stop completely. He then accelerated through the intersection and hit Amber Deneen and the two dogs, according to court documents. 

Smith did not stop after the collision, the complaint said. The two dogs were later found and taken home.

A woman driving behind the SUV told police she saw the couple and their dogs enter the crosswalk before the SUV reached the intersection, charges said.

According to the complaint, investigators found surveillance video that showed the SUV in the area and captured sounds of the crash. They determined the SUV, a Chevrolet Suburban, was registered to Smith.

Video from a Speedway gas station near the crash scene allegedly showed Smith getting out of his vehicle around 5:14 p.m. and checking it before going into the store. He was arrested two days later in the same clothes he was wearing at the gas station, charges said.

Smith said in an interview with investigators that he was comfortable talking about the crash since he "wasn't involved," the complaint said. Police showed him photos of his SUV before he "insisted" he wasn't involved. 

Smith then told police he had a traumatic brain injury from a car accident that happened when he was 18, which he said impacts his memory, according to charges. He admitted that he was the man shown in the Speedway surveillance video, but did not remember seeing a woman walking two dogs with her husband.

He also denied that he had drunk alcohol or used drugs when asked by police if that was why he didn't stop, charges said. Smith went on to say, "I don't remember hitting nobody if them cones or something."

The complaint said that when investigators left the room, Smith looked at a photo of Amber Deneen and said, "I'm sorry man. I do be driving over there, but I don't remember hitting nobody — that's crazy."

Investigators returned with a video of the Suburban leaving the crash scene at a high speed, according to charges. Smith, after seeing the video, said, "I'm telling you the truth right now - I didn't know I hit anybody, because you know the cones in the road - I did hit them. I'm thinking I hit the cones!"   

Smith said he felt a couple of thumps under the vehicle when he hit the cones, charges said. He then told investigators that he accelerated because "he thought something was stuck under his vehicle."

According to the complaint, Smith said, "I didn't see nobody. I thought I hit the cones, and I didn't know it was a body under my car."

Charges said there are cones on St. Anthony Avenue to protect bike lanes, though investigators said the road marker would have hit the driver's side of Smith's vehicle. Police said he would've hit Amber Deneen and the two dogs with the right side of his SUV.

Amber Deneen's family said in a written statement that she was "a talented artist, a lover of all animals, she was enchanted with life and a light to all who knew her. She also had the quickest wit and a perfected side-eye when it was warranted."

Her family added that she worked at SPS Commerce and had just been promoted.

Community mourns Amber Deneen

On Monday night, dozens of people gathered at a candlelight vigil in St. Paul to remember Amber Deneen.

Many left flowers and handwritten notes near the intersection of the fatal crash.

Neighbors say the intersection is dangerous and needs to be addressed by the city.

"Crosswalks, signals, proper lighting, speed bumps, speed mitigation," a community member said.

One sign near the intersection said, "Slow Down! Someone died here."

Some people at the vigil were handing out flyers with a QR code on the back for anyone who wants to join them in meeting with city officials to make St. Anthony Avenue safer.