Car crash that killed 4 at Illinois after-school program doesn’t appear to have been targeted attack, police say
By Jason Hanna, Taylor Romine and Zenebou Sylla, CNN
(CNN) — A car’s crash into an after-school program building in central Illinois this week – a wreck that killed four people ages 7 to 18 and injured six other children – does not appear to have been a targeted attack, Illinois State Police said Tuesday.
Still, the cause of Monday afternoon’s crash into the YNOT after-school program in Chatham is under investigation, state police said as the community mourns and awaits answers about what led up to it.
Four people were killed in the crash: two 7-year-olds, an 8-year-old and an 18-year-old, police said. Six other children were taken to area hospitals, one of whom was in critical condition Tuesday morning. All four killed were “female students,” the Sangamon County coroner’s office said in a news release.
The crash occurred when a vehicle left a road “for unknown reasons,” traveled through a field and slammed into a side of the program’s building around 3:20 p.m. CT Monday – striking several people – before exiting the other side, police said in a Tuesday morning news release.
The driver – the vehicle’s sole occupant – was not injured, but was taken to a hospital for evaluation, state police said. Toxicology reports were pending, state police said.
The names of those killed or hurt were not immediately released.
“The cause of the crash remains under investigation, but this does not appear to be a targeted attack,” state police said in Tuesday’s release. Authorities have not said whether the driver might face charges.
Video of the scene Monday showed a large building, similar to a gym, with a hole along the bottom. Several law enforcement vehicles could be seen and a helicopter was spotted flying over the area.
Chatham police referred questions to state police. CNN has sought comment from the after-school program.
The after-school program’s operator, YNOT Outdoors, says it offers “three-hour, post-dismissal, latch-key care for school-agers.” YNOT stands for “Youth Needing Other Things,” according to the website of the organization, which also runs a summer camp. Chatham, a village of about 14,000 people, is about 10 miles south of the state capital, Springfield.
Glenwood Middle School in Chatham will host counseling services starting Tuesday morning, CNN affiliate WAND reported. Classes in the Ball-Chatham School District will be conducted via e-learning for the day, and all extracurricular activities are canceled, a district spokesperson told WAND.
The school district will be “focusing on the well-being of students” as “we mourn the loss of four children,” Chatham Village President David Kimsey said Monday.
“Words fail in a time of tragedy and it becomes impossible to gather coherent thoughts in the midst of such loss,” Kimsey wrote in a Facebook post.
Gov. JB Pritzker on Monday said his administration is “closely monitoring” the crash. “My heart is heavy for these families and the unimaginable grief they’re experiencing – something that no parent should ever have to endure,” he said in a release.
“If you believe in the power of prayer, please take a moment to pray right now for the entire Chatham community,” Chatham police said on their Facebook page. “A terrible tragedy has occurred here that has affected all of us.”
CNN’s Matthew Rehbein and Christine Sever contributed to this report.
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