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Wichita, Kan. — Driver Kills 2, Including Child, at Soccer Field

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Police vehicles and emergency responders gathered on a youth soccer field in Wichita, Kansas
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A driver killed two people, including a child, after steering a vehicle through a youth soccer game at Wichita's Stryker Sports Complex on Saturday, the Wichita Police Department said, according to the Guardian. Eleven other people were injured, according to HTT News reporting published Oct. 18, though the extent of those injuries was not disclosed at the Saturday news conference, per the Guardian.

Here is what has been confirmed, in the order it became public, and what remains unknown as of Saturday evening.

What happened at Stryker Sports Complex on Saturday?

A vehicle was driven onto a field during a youth soccer game at the Stryker Sports Complex in Wichita on Saturday, Wichita Police Department spokesperson Aaron Moses said at a news conference, per the Guardian. Moses said he did not know how fast the vehicle was traveling or how it entered the field, according to the Guardian. One witness told local station KWCH that a black pickup truck was seen "plowing through the youth soccer fields" before coming to a stop 100 to 200 yards down the field, the Guardian reported, citing KWCH. Police have not yet released a timeline of exactly when the vehicle entered the complex relative to the start of games there Saturday, based on the information Moses provided at the briefing.

Who were the victims?

One child was killed at the scene and one adult also died, Moses said, according to the Guardian. Police withheld names and ages of both victims pending notification of family, the Guardian reported. HTT News reporting from Oct. 18 put the toll at two dead and 11 injured, a count that has not yet been broken down by age or severity in the material reviewed for this report. Moses called the incident "a tragedy," according to the Guardian, one of the only direct quotes attributed to police at the briefing.

Who was driving, and who else was in the vehicle?

The driver is in custody, Moses said, per the Guardian. Two juveniles were also in the vehicle at the time, Moses told reporters, according to the Guardian. Police have not released the driver's name, age, or any statement of intent or motive in the material made public Saturday. The department has not said whether the driver or the juveniles in the vehicle were among those transported to hospitals.

What did witnesses describe?

The witness who spoke to KWCH, cited by the Guardian, said the truck hit multiple people before stopping well down the field from where it entered. That witness reported seeing dozens of emergency responders administering aid and CPR to victims on the field, according to the Guardian's account of the KWCH interview. No other named witness accounts were included in the material reviewed for this report, and police have not yet released their own account of impact locations or victim count by field.

What happens next for the investigation and the complex?

The City of Wichita has canceled all events at Stryker Sports Complex until further notice, the Guardian reported. Wichita police have set up a portal asking the public to submit video evidence of the incident, according to the Guardian. Wichita Mayor Lily Wu posted on social media that she was "heartbroken by reports of a tragic incident at Stryker Sports Complex," adding that her "thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected, especially the children and families involved," per the Guardian. No court date, charges, or formal case number had been released in the material reviewed for this report.

Two figures anchor what's publicly known: two dead, one child and one adult, confirmed directly by Wichita police, and 11 injured, a figure reported by HTT News on Oct. 18 that has not yet been corroborated with a hospital-by-hospital breakdown. The gap between those two sourced counts — a police-confirmed death toll and a separately reported injury count — is typical of the early hours after a mass-casualty event, when agencies confirm deaths before releasing injury data that depends on hospital reporting. Police have given no estimate of when additional details, including victim identities, will be released, based on Moses's remarks at the Saturday briefing.

Readers with video of the incident have been directed to the police department's evidence portal referenced in the Guardian's report. The Wichita Police Department has not indicated when its investigation, or the city's decision on resuming play at the complex, will be resolved.

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Questions

Is the driver who hit the soccer game in custody?

Yes. Wichita Police Department spokesperson Aaron Moses confirmed the driver was in custody at a Saturday news conference, according to the Guardian.

How many people were in the vehicle in the Wichita soccer field crash?

Police said two juveniles were in the vehicle along with the driver, according to the Guardian's report on Moses's remarks.

Are games still being held at Stryker Sports Complex?

No. The City of Wichita canceled all events at the complex until further notice, the Guardian reported.

Sources

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