A 34-year-old woman drove a pickup truck with two youngsters inside through a Kansas youth soccer game, killing two, including a 6-year-old boy and wounding 11 others, police said.
After hitting multiple people at the Stryker Sports Complex in Wichita, the driver — who is the mother of a kid playing at the facility — shouted “Oh my God, Oh my God, what have I done?!” as she was pulled from the vehcile by other parents, a reporter at a press conference recounted.
After the car mowed down the victims, civilians at the soccer game sprang into action and delivered “life-saving assistance” to the wounded until first responders arrived, Wichita Police Department Chief Joe Sullivan said.
A 34-year-old woman drove a pickup truck through a Kansas youth soccer game, killing two, including a 6-year-old boy. via REUTERS
“It was truly amazing, but I think it’s indicative of the Wichita community,” he said.
A 35-year-old man and a 6-year-old boy were pronounced dead at the scene of the 3:25 p.m. incident. They were not related to each other, Wichita Police Department Captain Aaron Moses told reporters Saturday night.
Five children aged five through nine were rushed to the hospital with traumatic injuries, Moses said.
In total, 11 people were hospitalized and 10 had traumatic injuries some of which were serious but not believed to be life-threatening.
Sullivan added that police officials still don’t know why the crash occurred and are still investigating on the scene.
The woman was believed to have had a child playing soccer at the time, but not on the field where the onslaught took place, Moses said.
Eleven people were wounded after the driver struck multiple people at the Stryker Sports Complex in Wichita. via REUTERS
The woman drove from the east side of the sports complex to the field which was on the west end of the park, Moses said.
“Today is a heartbreaking day for Wichita; families came to Stryker Sports Complex to enjoy a Saturday afternoon watching their children play soccer. Nobody could have imagined the tragedy that would unfold,” Wichita Mayor Lily Wu said.
“My heart breaks for the families who’ve lost loved ones, especially the family grieving the loss of a child,” she added.
The vehicle remained at the scene following the incident and the driver is now in police custody and has been cooperative with the investigation, Moses said.
A 35-year-old man and a 6-year-old boy, who are not related to each other, were pronounced dead at the scene. via REUTERS
A witness described the vehicle as a “black pickup truck” and pictures from the scene shared by local WSMV4 News showed a truck of that color parked in the middle of the field.
“[A] black pickup truck came plowing through the youth soccer fields, hitting multiple people before stopping 100-200 yards down the fields,” a witness told local outlet 12 News.
Police officials said that they are continuing to investigate the incident.
Sullivan urged the public to be patient as investigators continue to probe the incident and said more updates would be forthcoming.