The woman who drove a pickup truck onto a youth soccer field in Wichita, killing a 6-year-old boy and a 35-year-old man, has been released without charges as investigators await toxicology results and a mechanical inspection of her vehicle.
Wichita police said Sunday the 34-year-old driver was released pending those results. Authorities identified the two people killed as Cole Adrian, 6, and Nicholas Schafer, 35, both of McPherson. The two were not related.
The crash happened at about 3:25 p.m. Saturday at Stryker Sports Complex in northeast Wichita, when the truck drove from a parking space onto a field, injuring 10 people in addition to the two deaths. Five of the injured were children.
The driver had two of her own children inside the pickup at the time; a third child was playing soccer on another field at the complex. She was initially taken into custody but released after police interviewed more than 30 witnesses, including the children who were in the truck, and consulted with the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office.
Investigators have not said what caused the crash or whether it was intentional, tied to a medical emergency, impairment or some other factor. The district attorney’s office told Fox News Digital that police are expected to present an initial case to District Attorney Marc Bennett early this week, after which the office said it would “share information as appropriate.”
Wichita Police Capt. Aaron Moses said at a Saturday news conference that the driver has a valid license, has no outstanding warrants and has been cooperating with investigators. Police Chief Joe Sullivan summed up the open question facing investigators: “We know what happened, but now we’re working very hard to find out why it happened.”
The toll
Ten people were taken to Ascension Via Christi and Wesley Medical Center with what police described Sunday as noncritical injuries. Among them were a 5-year-old girl, a 5-year-old boy, two 8-year-old boys and a 9-year-old girl, along with five adults ranging in age from 28 to 68. An 11th person, a 61-year-old woman, was hospitalized for a medical issue unrelated to the crash itself.
Bystanders at the complex tried to help the injured before emergency crews arrived, but Adrian and Schafer died on the field despite those efforts.
The crash also forced organizers to suspend the Kansas State High School Activities Association’s first-ever girls flag football state championship, which was being played on a nearby field. The association said the games would not resume that weekend.
Community response
Sporting Wichita Academy, whose community includes many of the families at the complex that day, posted on Facebook thanking first responders, medical staff and bystanders.
“Soccer is more than a game. It is a community. It is families in the stands, teammates standing beside one another, and people who come together through a shared love of the game. Today, that community is hurting, and we must lean on one another more than ever.”
Chief Sullivan also addressed the families directly on Sunday. “What should have been a day of children playing soccer and families spending time together ended in tragedy,” he said. “We are also thinking about those who were injured, their loved ones and everyone who witnessed what happened. We know this tragedy has affected many people throughout our community, and we want those families to know they are not alone.”
Meddys, a restaurant with locations in Wichita and Salina, pledged to donate 20% of revenue from those locations between Oct. 18 and Oct. 24 to the affected families, and said it would provide free meals to the immediate families of the injured for as long as their loved ones remain hospitalized. The business is working with local nonprofit Kingdom Athletics Mission to manage donations, including through GoFundMe, for the McPherson families.
“Wichita is our home. These are our neighbors. In moments like this, we take care of one another.”
Police are asking anyone with information about the crash to call investigators at 316-268-4407, or to submit anonymous tips through Crime Stoppers at 316-267-2111.
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