Vehicle smashes through Illinois building, killing 4 children and injuring others
CHATHAM, Ill. (AP) — A car smashed through a building Monday afternoon, killing four children and injuring several others during an after-school program in a small city outside of Springfield, Illinois, police said.
Officers responded at about 3:20 p.m. to calls about a vehicle ramming through the building, fatally hitting four people before exiting the other side, Chatham Police Department Deputy Chief Scott Tarter said.
Those killed were between the ages of 4 and 18, Illinois State Police said in an emailed statement. Several other people were hurt and taken to hospitals.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
It wasn't immediately known what led up to the crash or whether it was intentional.
It's is one of several recent instances of people driving vehicles into groups of people across the globe. Only two days earlier, a car plowed through a crowded street during a Filipino heritage festival in Vancouver, British Columbia, killing 11.
The Illinois driver, who was uninjured, was the sole occupant of the vehicle and was taken to a hospital for evaluation, Tarter said. Police haven't said if the driver was arrested or taken into custody.
'I am horrified and deeply saddened by the deaths of children and numerous injuries in Chatham this afternoon,' Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said in a statement. '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 his office was monitoring the situation and was ready to lend support.
The struck building and facilities house Youth Needing Other Things Outdoors, which holds after-school programs and summer camps, according to its website.
As evening fell, police cars with lights flashing still blocked streets leading to the building. On its Facebook account, the Chatham Police Department asked for prayers.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
'A terrible tragedy has occurred here that has affected all of us,' the message ended.
___
Associated Press reporter Lisa Baumann contributed to this report from Bellingham, Washington.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Protests over immigration raids continue across the US with more planned
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Protests over federal immigration enforcement raids are flaring up around the country, as officials in cities from coast to coast get ready for major demonstrations against President Donald Trump over the weekend. While many demonstrations against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency have been peaceful, with marchers chanting slogans and carrying signs, others have led to clashes with police who have sometimes used chemical irritants to disperse crowds. Hundreds have been arrested. Volatile protests prompted city officials to enforce curfews in Los Angeles and Spokane. And Republican governors in Texas and Missouri mobilized National Guard troops to be ready to help law enforcement manages demonstrations in those states. Activists are planning 'No Kings' events across the country on Saturday to coincide with Trump's planned military parade in Washington, D.C. While those were already scheduled, they will happen amid the rising tensions of the week. The Trump administration said immigration raids and deportations will continue regardless. A look at some recent protests and reactions across the country: Seattle Hundreds of protesters marched through downtown Seattle Wednesday evening to a federal building where immigration cases are heard. Some of them dragged a dumpster nearby and set it on fire. The building was covered in graffiti, with 'Abolish ICE Now' written in large letters across its front window. They moved electric bikes and cones to block its entrance. Dozens of officers squared off with protesters near the federal building, with some shooting pepper spray. Police worked to move the crowd away and some protesters threw fireworks and rocks at officers, according to the Seattle Police Department. Spokane, Washington Mayor Lisa Brown imposed an overnight curfew in downtown Spokane after a protest Wednesday afternoon outside an ICE office that ended with more than 30 arrests and police firing pepper balls at the crowd. Brown said the curfew would 'protect public safety,' and that the majority of protesters were peaceful. 'We respect their right to peacefully protest and to be upset about federal policies,' she said. 'I have been that person who has protested federal policies and that is a right we have.' San Antonio Several hundred protesters marched through downtown San Antonio and near the historic Alamo mission. Although Texas National Guard troops were seen in the area, the demonstration was mostly peaceful with no significant clashes with law enforcement. The Alamo building and plaza, among the most popular tourist attractions in the state, was closed to the public early and police guarded the property as the crowd gathered and marched nearby. Tuscon, Arizona A protest Wednesday outside an ICE office in Tuscon, Arizona, turned into a clash between masked security officers and demonstrators who blocked a roadway, threw balloons filled with paint and spray painted anti-ICE graffiti on the gates and walls of the facility. Video clips showed a security officer who was hit with a water bottle. Masked protesters held makeshift shields as they inched toward the security team, and a member of the security team set off what appeared to be a flash-bang device. At one point, a security officer sprayed a chemical irritant at protesters and a protester responded by firing irritant back at the officers. It was unclear if the officers were private security or federal agents. The Associated Press left messages with the Tucson Police Department and ICE's operation in Arizona. 'No Kings' This week's protests are leading into the scheduled 'No Kings' demonstrations that organizers say are planned in nearly 2,000 locations around the country, from city blocks to small towns, courthouse steps to community parks, according to the movement's website. Organizers plan a flagship march and rally in Philadelphia, but no protests are scheduled to take place in Washington, D.C., where the military parade will be held. In Florida, state Attorney General James Uthmeier warned that any 'No Kings' protesters who become violent will be dealt with harshly. 'If you want to light things on fire and put people in danger, you are going to do time. We do not tolerate rioting,' said Uthmeier said Thursday. Federal prosecutors are watching as well. In a message sent Thursday, a Justice Department official told U.S. attorneys across the country to prioritize cases against protesters who engage in violence and destruction. The email cites several potential federal charges, including assault, civil disorder and damage of government property. Governors and the Guard Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe mobilized National Guard troops in their states ahead of the weekend demonstrations. Abbott said more than 5,000 guard troops and more than 2,000 state police would be ready to assist local law enforcement if needed. Several 'No Kings' rallies are planned in Texas, including in San Antonio, Houston, Dallas and Austin. There were brief clashes between protesters and police who used chemical irritants during demonstrations in Austin and Dallas earlier in the week. Police in Austin made about a dozen arrests. Mayors in San Antonio and Austin have said they didn't ask for help from the National Guard. Kehoe's announcement called his decision a 'precautionary measure' and did not provide specific troop levels or duties. His order authorized guard leadership to call up as many members as necessary. Abbott and Kehoe stand in sharp contrast to California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has publicly sparred with Trump over the president's decision to send National Guard troops and Marines to Los Angeles, where volatile demonstrations have mostly been contained to a five-block section of downtown. All 22 other Democratic governors signed a statement backing Newsom, calling the Guard deployment and threats to send in Marines 'an alarming abuse of power.' ____ Alanna Durkin Richer in Washington; Curt Anderson in Tampa, Florida; Jacques Billeaud in Phoenix; David Lieb in Jefferson City, Missouri; and Lisa Baumann and Gene Johnson in Seattle contributed.
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
A truck driver is convicted in the fatal shooting of an Amish woman in her Pennsylvania home
MEADVILLE, Pa. (AP) — A jury convicted a 53-year-old truck driver Thursday of shooting to death a pregnant Amish woman inside her rural Pennsylvania home early last year. Shawn Christopher Cranston was charged a few weeks after Rebekah Byler, 23, was found dead in the living room of her rural Spartansburg home. Cranston was convicted in Crawford County of first-degree murder, second-degree murder of an unborn child and related offenses. He is scheduled for sentencing in late July. 'It is hard to fathom conduct more heinous than brutally killing a young expectant mother and her unborn child in her home,' Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday said in an emailed release. 'Our homes are supposed to be our safe haven — this defendant violated the sanctity of home to commit these truly evil acts.' A message seeking comment was left for Cranston's lawyer, Louis W. Emmi. Police have said Byler's children, a 2-year-old girl and a 3-year-old boy, were in the home when their mother suffered sharp wounds to her neck and was shot in the head. The boy told investigators a man wearing sneakers had killed his mother. The children were not physically harmed. Members of the area's substantial Amish community attended the trial this week. Investigators have said they began to focus on Cranston within a day of the killing and took several items during a search of his home in Corry, about 8 miles (13 kilometers) from Spartansburg. Sundays Kevin Rollason's Sunday newsletter honouring and remembering lives well-lived in Manitoba. Byler's husband, Andy Byler, said during an earlier court proceeding that the children told him about the crime when he returned home from looking at possible roofing jobs. She had been doing laundry when he left earlier that day. 'I didn't really believe it,' Andy Byler testified last year. 'I walked in and saw her cap laying inside the door.'
Toronto Sun
an hour ago
- Toronto Sun
Prosecutors say Republican South Carolina lawmaker used 'joebidennnn69' to send child sex material
Published Jun 12, 2025 • 3 minute read South Carolina Rep. RJ May, R-West Columbia, speaks in favor of an education voucher bill on Wednesday, April 26, 2023, in Columbia, S.C. Photo by Jeffrey Collins, File / AP Photo COLUMBIA, S.C. — A Republican member of the South Carolina House who prosecutors say used the screen name 'joebidennnn69' has been arrested and charged with 10 counts of distributing sexual abuse material involving children. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account RJ May was arrested at his Lexington County home after a lengthy investigation and was ordered Thursday by a federal judge to remain jailed until his trial. The three-term Republican is accused of using 'joebidennnn69' to exchange 220 different files of toddlers and young children involved in sex acts on the Kik social media network for about five days in spring 2024, according to court documents that graphically detailed the videos. Each charge carries a five-to-20 year prison sentence upon conviction and prosecutors suggested May could spend over a decade in prison if found guilty. The files were uploaded and downloaded using May's home Wi-Fi network and his cellphone, prosecutors said. Some were hidden by the use of a private network but others were directly linked to his internet addresses. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. May says someone else could have used his Wi-Fi At his arraignment, May's lawyer suggested someone could have used the Wi-Fi password that was shown on a board behind a photo May's wife may have posted online. Attorney Dayne Phillips also suggested investigators didn't link each Kik message directly to May. Prosecutors asked that May not be given bail because he lives at home with his wife and young children, and some of the files he is accused of sharing feature children of about the same age as his. May investigated for paid sex in Colombia Prosecutors said they also investigated whether May used a fake name to travel to Colombia three times after finding videos on his laptop of him allegedly having sex with three women. An agent from the Department of Homeland Security testified the women appeared to be underage and were paid. U.S. agents have not been able to locate the women. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Prosecutors said May created a Facebook account with his fake name and his internet history showed him switching between his real account and the fake one and even searching his primary opponent from the fake login. Phillips, May's lawyer, told the courtroom that no sexual images of toddlers or young children were found directly on his laptop or cellphone. After spending the night at the Lexington County jail. May appeared in court Thursday in shorts and a T-shirt with his wrists and ankles in cuffs. After being ordered to stay in jail, he appeared to blow a kiss at his wife, who was at the hearing. May's political rise to the state House After May's election in 2020, he helped create the Freedom Caucus, a group of the House's most conservative members who say mainstream House Republicans aren't the true conservative heart of the GOP. He also helped the campaigns of Republicans running against GOP House incumbents. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'We as legislators have an obligation to insure that our children have no harm done to them,' May said in January 2024 on the House floor during a debate on transgender care for minors. His son charmed the House in April 2021 when May brought him to visit for his third birthday and the boy practiced his parade wave around the chamber. The Freedom Caucus released a statement Wednesday night saying they kicked May out of their group after his arrest. May spent a quiet 2025 House session Many of his onetime friends have distanced themselves from May as rumours of the investigation spread through the Statehouse. During the current session he could largely be seen at his corner desk in the back of the 124-seat chamber, mixing with very few colleagues. The House Speaker suspended May from his seat after the indictment. May's lawyer suggested he could have been framed and asked the Homeland Security agent if she knew that May had a lot of political enemies. 'There are a fair amount of people who don't like me either, Mr. Phillips,' agent Britton Lorenen replied. World Toronto Blue Jays World Toronto & GTA Celebrity
