Truck Drives Through Wichita Youth Soccer Game, Killing a Boy, 6, and a Man, 35
Ten people were hurt at the Stryker Soccer Complex, and police have a 34-year-old woman in custody but have not said whether the crash was intentional.
A truck drove through a youth soccer game at a sports complex in Wichita, Kansas, on Saturday afternoon, killing a 6-year-old boy and a 35-year-old man and injuring at least 10 other people, police said.
Callers began dialing 911 shortly before 3:30 p.m. to report that a vehicle had driven through a game at the Stryker Soccer Complex. Both of the dead were from McPherson, Kansas, and were not related to each other, police said. Authorities have not released their names.
Police said the injured include five children between the ages of 5 and 9 and five adults between 28 and 68. CBS News, citing police, put the number taken to local hospitals at 11. Police described the injuries as not life-threatening, ranging from bruises to severe wounds. A separate 61-year-old woman was hospitalized for what police called non-traumatic medical issues unrelated to the crash.
A 34-year-old woman from Garden City, Kansas, is in custody. Wichita Police Capt. Aaron Moses said she was still in the truck, along with two children, when first responders arrived. One of her children had a game at the complex, on a different field. Moses said she has been cooperative with investigators. Police said it was not immediately clear whether the crash was intentional, and no charges had been announced as of Saturday night.
Kansas Highway Patrol troopers, Sedgwick County sheriff's deputies and Bel Aire police joined Wichita officers at the scene. Bystanders gave medical aid to the injured before ambulances reached them. Police asked anyone who recorded video of the crash to send it to investigators.
Wichita Mayor Lily Wu called it a "heartbreaking day for Wichita" and said families had come to the complex to watch their children play. In a Facebook post she expressed sorrow for the victims and their families. Gov. Laura Kelly offered state resources to the city and sent condolences.
The City of Wichita canceled all events at the soccer complex until further notice. The Kansas State High School Activities Association suspended its flag football state championship and other matches through the weekend while the investigation continues.
Police said the investigation is ongoing. Investigators have not said what role, if any, a medical emergency, a mechanical failure or deliberate action played in the crash, and they have not described the vehicle's path across the fields. The department said it would release more information, including the names of the victims, once families are notified.
