WICHITA, Kan. — The Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office released a new statement on Thursday explaining the process into charging decisions. This comes after questions continue to surround the Oct. 17 crash at Stryker Sports Complex that killed Cole Adrian and Nicholas Schafer and injured 10 others.
In a statement, the office said the Wichita Police Department is leading the investigation, with prosecutors in daily consultation with detectives since the day of the crash.
Investigators determined in the hours after the crash, after consulting with the DA’s office, that information available at that time did not establish the probable cause required by law to continue holding the driver. The office said that decision was not a final determination on criminal charges and did not end the investigation.
Prosecutors said they must review reports, witness statements, crash reconstruction findings, video evidence, forensic testing and other information before making a charging decision. Fatal crash cases are rarely charged immediately because much of the evidence requires lab testing and expert analysis, the office said.
For context, the office said traffic fatality investigations presented in 2025 and 2026 took an average of 79.3 days from the crash date to presentation for a charging decision.
“Every agency involved in this matter is devoting its full attention to this case,” the DA’s office said. “As such, we have no expectation this case will require weeks to resolve, but to put this into context, there is nothing unusual about the time being taken to carefully assess this case. Vehicle deaths are complicated investigations that take time. We will not set an artificial deadline that compromises a careful and responsible review. Our community deserves answers, and it deserves a decision that is careful, fair, and above all correct.”
Related Content:
The DA’s office said it will provide an update when a charging decision is made or when additional information can be responsibly released, and asked the public to avoid speculation. It referred questions about the crash investigation to the Wichita Police Department.
Copyright 2026 KWCH. All rights reserved. To report a correction or typo, please email news@kwch.com