Two people, including a child, died after a vehicle drove through a youth soccer game at a sports complex in Wichita, Kansas, on Saturday, Oct. 17, police said. An additional 11 people were injured and taken to hospitals.
The Wichita Police Department identified the two people killed as a 6-year-old boy and a 35-year-old man, who were not related to each other. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver of the vehicle, a 34-year-old woman, is in police custody, authorities said, and cooperating with the investigation.
The incident occurred at Stryker Sports Complex, according to local news outlet KWCH. The sports facility has several indoor and outdoor fields.
Sedgwick County 911 received multiple calls around 3:25 p.m. local time reporting that a vehicle had driven through a soccer game, Wichita police Capt. Aaron Moses said during a press conference.
The Wichita Police Department said in a post on X that it was investigating a mass casualty incident involving a vehicle. Authorities said the driver was in custody and there was no longer an ongoing threat.
What happened at the soccer fields?
A witness told KWCH that a black pickup truck drove through youth soccer fields, striking multiple people before stopping about 100 to 200 yards farther down the fields.
Officers located a truck on the field and the driver remained with the vehicle along with two juveniles who were inside the vehicle. Police said the driver of the vehicle was a 34-year-old woman from Garden City, Kansas.
The witness also described dozens of emergency responders providing medical assistance to victims, including performing CPR, according to the station.
Wichita police officers, other local law enforcement agencies, the Wichita Fire Department and Sedgwick County EMS responded to the scene, KWCH reported.
Moses said 11 people, ages 5 to 68 years old, were taken to local hospitals, including five children and six adults. Of those, 10 had traumatic injuries, ranging from bruises to extremely severe injuries. A 61-year-old woman also was taken to the hospital for an unknown medical condition.
The status of the injured was not immediately available, according to Wichita police. However, police said all of the injuries are believed to be non-life threatening.
Was the driver arrested?
The driver of the vehicle was in custody, Moses said. He said the driver no longer posed a threat and described the incident as a “tragedy.”
Police had not determined how fast the vehicle was traveling or how it got onto the field. The sports facility has surveillance video and the owners of the complex were cooperating with investigators, police said.
USA TODAY reached out to the Wichita Police Department for additional information about the incident and the ongoing investigation.
The Wichita Police Department said it would provide further updates when more information became available.
Reporter Anthony Thompson can be reached at ajthompson@usatodayco.com, or on X @athompsonUSAT
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2 dead, 11 hurt after truck strikes crowd at Kansas youth soccer game
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