Pickup drives onto Wichita youth soccer field, killing two
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
A pickup drove onto a youth soccer field in Wichita, Kansas, killing a 6-year-old and a 35-year-old man.
The driver was released pending tests, with no charges filed yet.
Background
The crash happened at Stryker Sports Complex in northeast Wichita, Kansas, during a youth soccer game. Police said a preliminary investigation indicated the pickup had been parked near the soccer fields before it was driven onto one of them. The 34-year-old female driver was taken into custody, then released after interviews and consultation with the Sedgwick County District Attorney's Office, pending toxicology testing and a mechanical examination of the vehicle. Investigators interviewed more than 30 witnesses, including the two juveniles inside the pickup.
How it unfolded
- Oct 17, 2026A Chevy pickup drove onto a youth soccer field during a game at Stryker Sports Complex in northeast Wichita, Kansas, killing Cole Adrian, 6, and Nicholas Schafer, 35, both from McPherson, and injuring 10 others.
- Oct 17, 2026Police took the 34-year-old female driver into custody; her two children were inside the pickup and another child was playing soccer on a different field.
- Oct 18, 2026Police released the driver pending toxicology testing and a mechanical examination of the vehicle, after interviews and consulting with the Sedgwick County District Attorney's Office; no charges were filed.
- Oct 18, 2026All events at Stryker Sports Complex were canceled Sunday, with regular operations expected to resume Monday.
- Oct 19, 2026The Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office warned that false information was being spread about the driver.
- Oct 21, 2026The Sedgwick County District Attorney's Office said it plans an initial review of the case "later this week."
Who’s saying what
- Official
- Wichita police said the driver was cooperative and gave a recorded statement, and that investigators are looking at all possibilities including speeding, mechanical failure, and driving under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol.
- Caution
- The Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office said social media claims that a sheriff's deputy was the driver are false.
Still unverified
Social media posts claimed a sheriff's deputy was the driver of the vehicle; the Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office said that is false and that Deputy Rachel Taylor was not the driver. Police have not identified the driver because she has not been arrested or charged.