Driver released after pickup truck kills 2, injures 10 at Kansas youth soccer game


Police attend the scene where a vehicle drove through a soccer game at the Stryker Sports Complex in Wichita, Kansas, US, October 17, 2026 in a still image from video. ABC Affiliate KAKE via REUTERS.

NEW YORK, ⁠Oct 18 (Reuters) - The woman who was driving a pickup truck ⁠that entered a Kansas soccer field during a youth ‌match, killing a man and 6-year-old boy, was released without charges while the investigation continues, authorities said on Sunday.

Investigators interviewed the 34-year-old woman, whom authorities have not ​publicly identified, and consulted with the Sedgwick ⁠County district attorney's office before ⁠releasing her, the Wichita Police Department said in a statement.

Police said ⁠toxicology ‌testing and a mechanical examination of the vehicle were still under way.

The Chevrolet pickup truck had been parked near ⁠a soccer field in Wichita on Saturday before entering ​the pitch during ‌a game and striking multiple people, police said.

Five children ages ⁠5 to ​9 and five adults suffered noncritical injuries, police said.

Two children of the driver were inside the truck when the incident occurred and were interviewed, ⁠police said. One of the driver's children ​was playing on a different soccer field at the complex, according to the police statement.

Wichita police will present an initial review of the ⁠case to the district attorney early this week, district attorney's office spokesperson Lyndsee Stover said in an email.

Police identified those killed in the crash as 6-year-old Cole Adrian and 35-year-old Nicholas Schafer of ​McPherson, Kansas.

"Our hearts are with the families ⁠of Adrian and Nicholas as they face an unimaginable loss. What should ​have been a day of children playing ‌soccer and families spending time together ​ended in tragedy," Wichita Police Chief Joe Sullivan said.

(Reporting by Maria Tsvetkova; Editing by Sergio Non and Cynthia Osterman)

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