Two dead, 10 injured after woman drives truck through youth soccer game in Wichita
A 34-year-old woman drove through a soccer complex in Kansas on Saturday, killing a 6-year-old boy and a 35-year-old man; she was released without charges pending investigation.
What happened
On Saturday at approximately 3:25 p.m., a 34-year-old woman from Garden City, Kansas drove a pickup truck through soccer fields at Stryker Sports Complex in northeast Wichita. The vehicle struck and killed Cole Adrian, age 6, and Nicholas Schafer, age 35, both from McPherson, Kansas. Ten additional people were injured: five children (ages 5, 5, 8, 8, and 9) and five adults (ages 28, 32, 59, 65, and 68). An 11th person, a 61-year-old woman, experienced unrelated medical complications. All ten injured victims sustained traumatic but non-life-threatening injuries. The woman was arrested and detained at the scene, but was released from custody without charges on Sunday pending toxicology results and mechanical examination of the vehicle. Police described her as having a valid driver's license, no outstanding warrants, and she had children in the truck with her.
Context
The incident occurred at a youth soccer game involving McPherson City FC, a competitive youth soccer club, during what should have been a routine community sporting event. The complex subsequently cancelled all events until further notice, and the Kansas State High School Activities Association suspended flag football championship games scheduled for later that day at the same venue. Investigators are awaiting toxicology testing and mechanical examination results to determine the circumstances of the crash. This marks the second major tragedy at Stryker Sports Complex in less than 26 years; in December 2000, brothers Jonathan and Reginald Carr committed what has been called the 'Wichita massacre' at the same location, shooting five people fatally and others in a crime spree involving robbery, rape, and torture.
What's disputed
The cause of the vehicle striking the soccer fields remains under investigation pending toxicology and mechanical examination results; no determination has been made as to whether the crash resulted from driver impairment, mechanical failure, or other circumstances.