More than 1,500 people gathered Wednesday evening to remember the victims of last weekend’s deadly crash at a Wichita soccer field.
Young soccer players, coaches and families returned to the Stryker Sports Complex for the first time since a truck drove onto a field there, killing two people.
Yelitza Ramirez was on an adjacent field with her two sons when the crash happened.
She said her family was devastated and traumatized by what they saw. Her boys have played soccer at the sports complex for years, she said, and she considers it their second home. Ramirez said her family attended Wednesday’s vigil to pay their respects, along with other soccer teams.
“I just hope it kind of gives us a little bit of healing," Ramirez said. "There won't ever be closure, I would say. ... But just to kind of help us heal, come together, and be together during such a horrific time.”
Ramirez said the Wichita soccer community is a big family that rallies around each other. Wednesday’s turnout shows the only way through this is together, she said.
“I hope that everyone can see what a good community we have here — not just the soccer community, but in Wichita,” Ramirez said.
She said she has been spending a lot of time with her sons since the incident. They sometimes have questions, and Ramirez said she tries her best to answer them. That’s the advice she has for other families going through the same trauma right now.
“If you need to cry, cry,” Ramirez said. “If you need to talk about it, talk about it. That's the only way to kind of get through it.”
Many wore red to honor the victims’ hometown soccer club —McPherson City FC. The club’s director read letters from the victims’ families, and area pastors offered prayer and songs.
Soccer coach Casey Cassamento told the crowd it was a time for the broken-hearted to comfort each other.
“We simply get to be here together," Cassamento said, "held by a community that chooses to walk through this together.”
McPherson City FC director Brandon Johnson told the crowd the soccer community has been greatly moved by the support from Wichita and beyond. In a wavering voice, Johnson shared two letters from the victims' families.
The Schafer family wrote that they are trying to navigate through the unimaginable pain of losing their father and husband. Their young daughter is currently in the hospital with injuries from the crash, but she is now breathing on her own.
“We know we still have a very long road ahead of us — physically, emotionally and mentally — as our daughter continues to recover, and we begin the difficult journey of mourning the loss of a husband, father and someone so deeply loved,” Johnson read from the family.
The Adrian family also expressed their appreciation for the community’s support after they lost their son.
“They can feel all of it, and the love flows through their broken hearts,” Johnson said. “They ask that you continue to pray for them in the days, months and years ahead.”
The driver of the truck, a 34-year-old woman from Garden City whose name was not released, was questioned and released by police on Sunday. It’s not clear whether charges will be filed.
In a press release earlier this week, Wichita Police said her release does not represent a final determination about whether criminal charges are appropriate.
The crash has attracted national attention in news and social media. President Donald Trump, along with several other speakers, mentioned the incident during a Park City campaign rally on Monday.
