st. paul

Police say their investigation into Tuesday's death of a St. Paul teenager is being complicated by stories and hearsay, and it's still unclear how he was pushed into the street and killed by a passing truck.

"There have been a broad range of stories, rumors and innuendo," said St. Paul police spokesman Sgt. Paul Schnell. "We believe there was pushing. What motivated that remains unclear."

Several students from Central High School were on Lexington Parkway near Selby Avenue when Isaiah Vinson, a 17-year-old junior at the school, was apparently pushed into the street and struck by a city truck about 2:10 p.m. Tuesday. He died soon afterward at Regions Hospital in St. Paul.

There were no arrests, and it is "way too early" to determine whether charges will be filed in the case, Schnell said.

Although authorities have interviewed students who were at or near the scene, officers were still narrowing the list of those who may have actually been with Vinson. Police had identified some people they had not yet interviewed, Schnell said.

Vinson's aunt, Dawn Cager, made a plea to the person or people who pushed Vinson to come forward.

"Hopefully they can search their hearts and do the right thing and come forward, whether it was accidental or intentional," she said. "It won't bring Isaiah back, but hopefully it will bring some peace to Isaiah's family."

Police were in the school periodically Wednesday to question students. They are trying to sort fact from fiction because they have gotten much information second- or third-hand, Schnell said.

"The horseplay stuff is what has predominantly been shared by witnesses," he said, adding that there is no indication of Vinson being the target of chronic bullying.

Vinson's friend Unique Moore, a freshman at Central, expressed frustration over the cloud of rumors surrounding his death.

Accounts of an altercation that led to Vinson being struck include stories about him being punched in the head, and one about two non-students confronting and pushing him because they thought he gave them the wrong look.

"There are a whole bunch of stories," said Moore, who was not quick to endorse any account. "Whoever did it needs to come clean."

Police say Vinson and several students were on the northwest corner of the intersection waiting to cross Lexington when he was apparently pushed into the street and struck by a southbound city Parks and Recreation truck. The driver had the right of way, and was not at fault, police said.

Several students gathered at the scene after school Wednesday, where a makeshift memorial of flowers, balloons, written messages and candles has sprung up. A few of Vinson's relatives were there but declined to comment. Classmates remembered him as a sometimes quiet but friendly teen who liked to joke around.

Anyone with information about the accident can call police at 651-266-5722.

Chao Xiong • 612-673-4391