The driver of a pickup truck that struck people at a youth soccer complex in Wichita, Kansas, killing a 6-year-old boy and a father, will not face criminal charges, prosecutors said after completing their investigation.
The unidentified driver crashed into players and spectators at Stryker Sports Complex last month. Adrian Cole, 6, and Nicholas Schafer, 35, died in the Oct. 17 wreck, while several other people were hurt.
In a 28-page report released Thursday, Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett said investigators found insufficient evidence to pursue charges. The report characterized the incident as an act of “negligence,” not a criminal offense.
Cole Adrian, 6, and Nicholas Schafer, 35, died after a pickup truck struck them at a youth soccer complex in Wichita, Kansas. (Stockham Family Funeral home; Wiggins Funeral Homes and Cremation Services)
“The reasonable conclusion is that, while she slept, her foot unintentionally hit the gas pedal while the truck was in gear,” investigators wrote. They were unable to determine precisely how the vehicle shifted into drive.
A 6-year-old boy and another person were killed when a pickup truck entered a youth soccer match at Stryker Sports Complex in Wichita, Kansas, on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026. (REUTERS)
Oct. 17
The driver reportedly departed Garden City in her husband’s 2021 Chevrolet Silverado and traveled to Wichita for her children’s soccer games.
After arriving at Stryker Sports Complex and watching games, she left to visit two fast-food restaurants and a business before returning to the venue.
She parked in a space facing one of the fields. According to her account to detectives, she thought she had placed the truck in park, leaned back her seat and fell asleep. One of her children then put sunshades across the windshield.
The pickup crossed the curb and entered the field, hitting spectators. Cole and Schafer were killed, and 10 other people were injured.
- The driver traveled from Garden City in her husband’s 2021 Chevrolet Silverado for her children’s soccer games in Wichita.
- She attended games at Stryker Sports Complex, left for two fast-food stops and a business, and later came back.
- After parking in a stall facing a field, she told investigators she believed the truck was in park before reclining her seat and falling asleep. A child placed sunshades over the windshield.
- The truck rolled across the curb and onto the soccer field, striking spectators, killing two people and injuring 10 others.
- Autopsies determined that both victims died from blunt-force trauma “consistent with being struck by a moving vehicle,” according to the report.
- General Motors technicians inspected the pickup and found no evidence of a mechanical malfunction or system failure.
- District Attorney Marc Bennett issued the findings, saying Kansas law did not provide a basis for criminal charges.
Toxicology testing found no impairing substances in the driver’s system. Investigators also ruled out a medical emergency and a mechanical defect as contributing factors.
LSU STUDENT AND FIREFIGHTER FIANCÉ MOWED DOWN NEAR CAMPUS, IMPAIRED UNDERAGE DRIVER ARRESTED
Stryker Sports Complex in Wichita, Kansas, was the site of a deadly crash after a vehicle drove onto a soccer field Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026. (Google Maps)
Prosecutors said they could not prove that the driver acted “knowingly” or “recklessly,” an element Kansas law requires before criminal charges can be considered.
The report further concluded that, under state law, one negligent act did not meet the standard for a vehicular manslaughter charge.
Authorities reviewed evidence from more than 100 interviews, surveillance recordings, cellphone videos, toxicology testing and a reconstruction of the vehicle’s movements.
Police responded to Stryker Sports Complex in Wichita, Kansas, after a pickup truck drove through a youth soccer event, killing two people and sending 11 others to hospitals. (REUTERS)
An obituary for Adrian described him as “full of life, humor, and an unmistakable vibrancy that drew people to him. A natural jokester, Cole loved making people laugh and was always ready with a joke or playful comment. He had a special gift for making friends with everyone, regardless of age, and genuinely loved connecting with the people around him.”
Schafer’s obituary said, “Nick was a proud Navy veteran who served his country with honor. He had a deep love for the outdoors and found happiness in the beauty of nature and the time he spent outside with his children.”