A tragic highway accident in eastern Kansas claimed the lives of eight people, including two teenage basketball players, a coach, and a trainer from Tulsa, Oklahoma. The group was returning from a tournament when the accident occurred on a two-lane stretch of US 169, approximately 60 miles southwest of Kansas City, Missouri. The other victims were three members of a family from the St. Louis area.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported that the accident happened when a southbound SUV, driven by the trainer and carrying the basketball players, collided head-on with a northbound sedan carrying the St. Louis family. The impact resulted in a fiery crash that left a scene of charred earth in Franklin County, Kansas.
A third teenager from the Tulsa area survived the crash and was hospitalized with injuries described as potentially minor by the Highway Patrol. The deceased young basketball players were identified as 14-year-old Donald “DJ” Laster, a student at Booker T. Washington High School in Tulsa, and Kyrin Schumpert, a ninth-grader at the Union High School Freshman Academy in the Tulsa area.
Both boys were part of the Oklahoma Chaos youth basketball program. The organization expressed their grief over the incident, describing it as an “unimaginable tragedy” in a social media post. They urged the community to support the families and friends of the victims during this challenging time, stating that the organization has suffered a significant loss.
Ron Horton, a teacher at Booker T. Washington, remembered DJ Laster as a standout student-athlete who excelled in academics as much as he did in sports. Laster was one of only two freshmen to make the school’s varsity team and was known for his ability to put others at ease.
The two adults who also perished in the accident were identified as Wayne Walls, a 41-year-old former teacher and coach at Carver Middle School in Tulsa, and Ja’mon Gilstrap, a trainer and driver with the Tulsa Public Schools’ transportation team. The survivor was 15-year-old Braden Walls. Gilstrap was driving the SUV at the time of the accident.
The occupants of the other vehicle were identified as Alexander Ernst, 37, of Ames, Iowa, and Madalyn Elliott, 33; John Elliott, 76, and Norleen Elliott, 69, all of Chesterfield, Missouri.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported that the crash occurred near Greeley, Kansas, a small town of fewer than 300 residents, around 5:45 p.m. on Sunday. The accident happened when Gilstrap attempted to pass a slow-moving vehicle, resulting in both vehicles swerving into the northbound shoulder of the highway to avoid a collision. The impact caused a fire, engulfing both vehicles.