Truck ploughs into youth soccer game in Wichita, killing two and injuring eleven
A 6-year-old boy and a 35-year-old man died after a truck drove onto a field during a youth soccer game at Stryker Sports Complex in east Wichita. Eleven others were hospitalised with traumatic injuries.
Two dead after truck drives onto soccer field at Stryker Sports Complex in Wichita
A 6-year-old boy and a 35-year-old man were killed on Saturday afternoon after a truck ploughed onto a playing field during a youth soccer game at the Stryker Sports Complex in east Wichita, Kansas, kwch.com reports. The two victims, both from McPherson, were not related to each other, police confirmed.
Eleven other people were taken to hospital with traumatic injuries. Wichita police released the ages of those hospitalised: a 5-year-old girl, a 5-year-old boy, two 8-year-old boys, a 9-year-old girl, a 28-year-old woman, a 32-year-old man, a 59-year-old woman, a 65-year-old woman and a 68-year-old man. A 61-year-old woman was separately taken to hospital for non-traumatic medical treatment.
Sedgwick County 911 received multiple calls at around 3:25 p.m. reporting that a vehicle had driven through a soccer game. Wichita police officers, local law enforcement units, the Wichita Fire Department and Sedgwick County EMS all responded to the scene near 29th and Greenwich.
A witness told 12 News that a black pickup truck "came plowing through the youth soccer fields hitting multiple people before stopping 100–200 yards down the fields," with dozens of emergency responders on scene performing CPR and rendering aid.
Driver in custody, investigation ongoing
Wichita Police Captain Aaron Moses identified the driver as a 34-year-old woman from Garden City. She was taken into police custody and two girls were in the vehicle with her at the time of the incident. Moses declined to say what happened to the two children or where they were taken.
Moses said the woman had a child playing soccer at Stryker, though not on the field where the deadly incident occurred. She held a valid driver's licence. Police are now working to determine the precise sequence of events and the cause of the crash. Moses stated that the truck's speed and the exact manner in which it accessed the field remained under investigation.
Moses described the incident as a "tragedy" and said there was no additional ongoing threat from the driver.
Video footage sought by investigators
Wichita police have called on anyone who recorded video of the incident to submit their footage. The department shared a QR code and a direct submission link — wichitapd.evidence.com — to collect material from witnesses and bystanders.
"Regardless of how significant you believe your footage may be, we encourage you to submit it. Even the smallest detail could assist investigators," the Wichita Police Department stated.
Drivers were also asked to avoid the area around 29th and Greenwich while the investigation continued.
Anyone with information can contact WPD Investigations at 316-268-4407, Crime Stoppers at 316-267-2111 or call 911.
Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)