Wichita man arrested after driving over 4-year-old refugee boy in March pleads guilty
A Wichita man who ran over and killed a 4-year-old African refugee crossing the street with his mother and toddler brother in March has pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident.
Marcus Downey, 37, is scheduled for sentencing Sept. 17 by Sedgwick County District Judge Seth Rundle.
Downey was arrested and charged after he drove over Hazadi Asiimwe with his Chevrolet Avalanche as he made a left-hand turn onto Waterman at the Washington intersection on March 8. He was on his way to work at the time and drove off after running over the boy.
Downey told authorities in a police interview that he didn’t see Hazadi or his mother before the collision but “hit something hard” and felt a bump as he turned. He had a green traffic light.
Hazadi, a refugee from Uganda, was 23 days shy of his fifth birthday when he was killed. Speaking through an interpreter, his mother told The Eagle in March that her son loved singing in church and watching sports, especially motorcycle racing.
Although too young to start school, he already had dreams of his graduation and of becoming a police officer, his mother said during the interview.
Suzana Nyiramaronko told The Eagle she and her sons had just gotten off of a bus and were walking to pay their rent when Hazadi was hit.
She said Hazadi panicked and “tried to run away” when he saw a vehicle coming toward them.
Downey continued on to work and then stopped for a soda at a local shop after the collision rather than staying on site. He pleaded guilty to one of two counts on Aug. 11, court records show.
Attorneys plan to encourage the judge to place Downey on probation when he is sentenced next month, court records show.
They’ll also recommend Downey complete 300 hours of community service — “or roughly 10 hours for each minute” he failed to return to the scene of the deadly collision, according to his plea agreement.
If Downey commits any new crimes or violates his bond conditions before the hearing, prosecutors could argue for a prison sentence, the agreement says.
Although judges often impose sentences recommended in plea agreements, they aren’t bound by them and can order any lawful sentence they see fit.
Originally, prosecutors charged Downey with leaving the scene of an accident that resulted in a death and driving while suspended, but dismissed the latter in exchange for his guilty plea.
