The deadly crash halted events at Stryker Sports Complex and suspended Kansas high school flag football championship games being played nearby.
WICHITA, Kan. — A 6-year-old boy and a 35-year-old man from McPherson were identified Sunday as the two people killed when a pickup drove onto a youth soccer field in Wichita, a tragedy that stopped competitions at Stryker Sports Complex and spread grief beyond the city.
Wichita police identified the victims as Cole Adrian, 6, and Nicholas Schafer, 35. Police said the two were not related. Ten other people suffered traumatic injuries when the pickup entered a field during a soccer game Saturday afternoon, while another woman was hospitalized for a medical complication that authorities said was not caused by a traumatic injury from the vehicle.
The injured included five children between ages 5 and 9 and five adults between ages 28 and 68, according to police. They were taken to Wichita hospitals after the crash. Authorities said Sunday that the injuries were noncritical, although officials have described the severity as varying among the victims.
The crash occurred during a busy Saturday at the complex, where families had gathered for youth soccer and other competitions. Emergency communications began receiving calls shortly before 3:30 p.m. reporting that a vehicle had driven through a soccer game. Police later said the pickup had been parked near the fields before it moved onto the playing area and struck children and adults.
The disruption extended to a Kansas State High School Activities Association flag football championship taking place on an adjacent field. The association suspended the third-place and championship games because of the emergency and said they would not resume during the weekend. Officials said updated game times would be announced later.
The city of Wichita also canceled all events at Stryker Sports Complex until further notice. City officials initially asked people to stay away while police, firefighters and emergency medical crews worked at the scene. The cancellations left the complex quiet after what had begun as a crowded day of youth and high school sports.
Police Chief Joe Sullivan praised spectators and others at the complex who began helping injured people before first responders reached them. Officers arriving at the field found bystanders providing aid as emergency crews moved in. Sullivan said the quick response reflected the way people at the complex reacted to an unexpected crisis.
Mayor Lily Wu said families had gone to Stryker expecting an ordinary Saturday of watching children play soccer. Gov. Laura Kelly also expressed condolences and said she had been in contact with Wichita officials as authorities responded. Other local and state leaders issued statements mourning the deaths and offering support to those affected.
The driver, a 34-year-old Garden City woman, was taken into custody after the crash and later released without charges pending toxicology testing and a mechanical examination of the pickup. Two juveniles were in the vehicle with her at the time. Police also said another of her children was participating in soccer at the complex on a different field.
Investigators have conducted more than 30 interviews and have not announced a cause for the crash. Police have said they are working to determine why the pickup entered the field and have sought photographs and video from people who were at the complex. No continuing threat to the public was reported.
For McPherson and Wichita, the investigation is proceeding alongside the immediate consequences for families, teammates and spectators who were at the complex. Stryker events remained canceled, the postponed flag football games awaited new scheduling details, and police said their work to determine what caused the crash was continuing Sunday.
Author note: Last updated October 18, 2026.