Pickup truck plows into a Kansas youth soccer field, killing a 6-year-old boy and a man. The crash has left a community struggling to make sense of the tragedy

Two people, including a 6-year-old boy, have been killed after a pickup truck drove onto a soccer field during a youth game in Wichita, Kansas, on Saturday, Oct. 17. Ten others were injured in the crash at the Scheels Stryker Sports Complex, where children and their families had gathered for the games.

According to the Wichita Police Department, emergency dispatchers received several calls at around 3:25 p.m. reporting that a vehicle had driven onto the fields and struck people. The preliminary investigation found that the driver was a 34-year-old woman who’d been parked near the soccer fields.

Witnesses described the confusion that followed. Vanessa Trammell told CNN, “It was pure panic,” adding that she did not know what was happening but could see people being hit. People at the complex rushed to help before emergency crews arrived. Some approached the truck and removed the driver from the cab, while others tried to provide first aid to those injured on the field.

Authorities released her without filing any charges

Police identified the two people killed as Cole Adrian, 6, and Nicholas Schafer, 35, both from McPherson, Kansas. Authorities said the victims were not related. Despite efforts to save them, both died at the scene.

Ten other people suffered traumatic injuries and were taken to Ascension Via Christi and Wesley Medical Center. They included five children between the ages of 5 and 9 and five adults aged 28 to 68. Their injuries were described as noncritical. A 61-year-old woman was also taken to a hospital after experiencing a medical complication unrelated to physical injuries from the crash.

The driver, who is from Garden City, Kansas, was initially taken into custody. Police later released her without filing charges while they investigate what happened. Investigators have interviewed more than 30 witnesses, including the two children who were inside the pickup when it drove onto the field. The woman driver reportedly had another child playing soccer at the complex on a different field.

Police are waiting for toxicology results and a mechanical examination of the truck as they try to establish what caused it to move onto the field. Authorities have not determined whether the incident was intentional, and the driver had a valid license and no outstanding warrants, according to police.

Wichita Mayor Lily Wu expressed her condolences to the victims and their families. “Families came to enjoy a Saturday afternoon watching their children play soccer. No one could have imagined the tragedy that would unfold,” she said.

The crash has shaken the local soccer community, with families and organizations now trying to support those affected. The investigation remains ongoing, and police have asked anyone with relevant video or information to come forward.