Sedgwick County DA explains delay in charging decision in fatal Stryker Sports Complex crash

WICHITA, Kan. — The Sedgwick County Prosecutor’s Office released a new statement Thursday explaining the charging decision process. This comes after questions continue to surround the Oct. 17 crash at the Stryker Sports Complex that killed Cole Adrian and Nicholas Schafer and injured 10 others.

In a statement, the office said the Wichita Police Department is leading the investigation, with prosecutors consulting with detectives daily since the day of the crash.

Investigators determined in the hours following the crash, after consulting with the prosecutor’s office, that the information available at that time did not establish the probable cause required by law to continue detaining the driver. The office said the decision was not a final determination on criminal charges and did not end the investigation.

Prosecutors said they must review reports, witness statements, accident reconstruction findings, video evidence, forensic tests and other information before making a charging decision. Fatal accident cases are rarely charged immediately because most evidence requires laboratory testing and expert analysis, the office said.

For context, the office said traffic crash investigations submitted in 2025 and 2026 took an average of 79.3 days from the date of the crash to the submission of a charging decision.

“All agencies involved in this case are devoting their full attention to this matter,” the prosecutor’s office said. “As such, we do not expect this case to take weeks to resolve, but to put things in context, there is nothing unusual about the time taken to carefully evaluate this case. Vehicular fatalities are complicated investigations that take time. We will not set an artificial deadline that would compromise careful and responsible review. Our community deserves answers, and it deserves a careful, fair, and above all, correct decision.”

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The prosecutor’s office said it would provide an update when a charging decision is made or when additional information can be responsibly released, and asked the public to avoid speculation. He referred questions about the crash investigation to the Wichita Police Department.