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Coon Rapids man dies after fight with roommate

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September 5th, 2011 by Ric Hanson

A western Iowa man is dead after authorities say he had a fight with a roommate. It happened Saturday afternoon in Coon Rapids. The victim, 28-year-old Bill Smith, was taken to a hospital in Carroll before being flown to a Des Moines hospital where he died Sunday evening. Coon Rapids Police Chief Joel Roetman says Smith had been fighting with a roommate when he was injured. Smith’s mother, who live across the street, called 911. “Nobody has been arrested in the case yet,” Roetman told Radio Iowa. “We’re still interviewing the people who were at the residence at the time. There were five people in the home when the altercation began.” The names of the other people in the home are not being released. It’s unclear how the fight started. An autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday.

“If the cause of death is relating to an injury (Smith) sustained, then we’re looking at some kind of charges being filed in the case,” Roetman said. Alcohol was “not a contributing factor” in the incident, according to Roetman. He says it appears the altercation was limited to a fist fight. “It’s believed at this time that there were no weapons involved,” Roetman said. The Carroll County Sheriff’s Department and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation are assisting the Coon Rapids Police Department in the investigation.

(www.radioiowa.com)