New details emerge on two killed after woman runs through Kansas football game | Kansas

New details emerged about two people — including a child — killed when a woman drove a vehicle at a youth football game in Kansas, as authorities continued Monday to investigate the cause of the tragedy.

College football coach Chris Adrian said his family is heartbroken after the loss of his six-year-old son, Cole, who died after the incident at the Stryker Sports Complex in Wichita, in which 10 other people were injured, some seriously.

“Cole was an incredible kid and could make anyone smile,” Adrian said in a text message reported by The New York Times.

“He was the joy and light of our community. His pure heart was open to everyone. He laughed best. He was a friend to everyone, young and old.”

The other victim, Nicholas Schafer, 35, was identified Sunday.

Schafer and his wife, Ashley, celebrated their 14th anniversary in May, according to a Facebook post, and had three children. An online fundraiser organized by friends said the family had “suffered enormous loss, immense pain and devastation, forever changing their future”.

The two deceased people were not related and were described as residents of McPherson, Kansas, about an hour north of Wichita.

A 34-year-old Garden City, Kansas, woman who was behind the wheel of the Chevrolet pickup truck at the center of the case was released without charges by Wichita police on Sunday, pending further investigation and toxicology testing.

According to witnesses, the woman’s vehicle, which also had two of her three children in it, suddenly headed towards the field, after being parked in a nearby square.

Wichita Police Chief Joe Sullivan said in a statement on Facebook that his investigators “will continue to work to understand exactly what happened.”

He said: “Our thoughts are with (Cole) and Nicholas’ families as they deal with an unimaginable loss. What should have been a day of children playing football and families spending time together ended in tragedy.

“We are also thinking of those who were injured, their loved ones, and everyone who witnessed what happened. We know this tragedy has affected many people in our community, and we want these families to know they are not alone.”

Among the injured, Sullivan said, were five children: two girls aged five and nine, a five-year-old boy and two boys aged eight.

Also injured were women aged 28, 59 and 65, as well as men aged 32 and 68. A 61-year-old woman was treated for medical complications unrelated to traumatic injuries.

Police said they have spoken to more than 30 witnesses so far and are appealing for anyone with video of the incident to come forward.

Accounts of the tragedy were published Monday by NBC News, which spoke with several people present.

Erica Case said she was watching her nine-year-old son’s game on an adjacent field when she heard a motor running and several “boom” noises.

“I saw the truck hit things,” she said. “I saw debris flying in the air.

“I don’t know if it was a cone, a chair or a person, but you could see the material flying as the truck crossed the football field at a decent speed.

“The moment I realized it wasn’t gunshots, it was bodies, I lost my mind because it wasn’t just adults. It was kids too.”

She said it took about 10 minutes for emergency services to arrive, during which time bystanders rushed to help the injured. She said she saw a person performing CPR on one of the victims.

David Griekspoor was at the resort with his brother and sister-in-law watching his nephew play soccer.

“It sounded like little gunshots — bap, bap, bap,” he told NBC. “You look up and you see the truck going through a line of people.”

The sports complex was closed for the remainder of the weekend following the incident.

On Sunday evening, some members of Wichita’s youth soccer community held a vigil and memorial at an indoor sports facility across town.