Chatham, ill. (AP) – A a broken car in a building Monday afternoon, killing four young people and injuring several others during a program after school in a small town outside Springfield, Illinois, police announced.
The agents responded around 3:20 p.m. to the calls concerning a vehicle that struck the building, fatally hitting four people before leaving the other side, said deputy chief of the Chatham police department, Scott Tarter.
People killed were between 4 and 18 years old, the state of Illinois said in a statement sent by email. The Coroner of the County of Sangamon, Jim Allmon, identified the victims as “students”, claiming that their identities will be released after family members are informed. Several other people were injured and taken to hospitals.
It is not immediately known what led to the accident or if it was intentional.
Monday’s accident is The last instance People driving vehicles in groups of people around the world. Two days earlier, a car plowed a crowded street during a Filipino heritage festival in Vancouver, British Columbia, killing 11.
Illinois driver, who was not injured, was the only occupant of the vehicle and was taken to the hospital for evaluation, Tarter said. The police did not say if the driver had been arrested or placed in police custody.
“I am horrified and deeply saddened by the death of children and many injuries to Chatham this afternoon”, ” Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said in a press release. “My heart is heavy for these families and the unimaginable sorrow they experience – something that no parent should never endure.”
He said that his office was monitoring the situation and was ready to support.
The building and the struck installations are home to young people who need other things outside, which contains programs after school and summer camps, according to its website.
As the evening fell, the police cars with lights flashing from the streets still blocked the streets leading to the building. On its Facebook account, the Chatham police service asked for prayers.
“A terrible tragedy occurred here which affected us all,” ended the message.
Monday evening, some members of the community and Beyond had changed their photos in Facebook profile in one image of a red ribbon and “Chatham Strong” words.
___
The journalist of Associated Press, Lisa Baumann, contributed to this report by Bellingham, Washington.
