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New York Post
07-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
Teen basketball players were among those who died in a Kansas highway crash that killed 8
GREELEY, Kan. — Two teenage basketball players, a coach and a trainer from the Tulsa, Oklahoma, area who were on their way back from a tournament were among eight people killed in a fiery head-on highway crash in eastern Kansas. Authorities said the other victims in Sunday's crash on a two-lane stretch of US 169 about 60 miles (97 kilometers) southwest of Kansas City, Missouri, included three members of a St. Louis-area family. The crash occurred when a southbound SUV driven by the trainer, carrying the teammates, collided with a northbound sedan with the St. Louis family as passengers, the Kansas Highway Patrol reported. 4 This image taken from video from May 5, 2025, shows charred earth at the site of a fatal vehicle collision in Franklin County, Kans. AP Advertisement A third teenager from the Tulsa area survived the crash and was hospitalized with what the Highway Patrol described as potentially a minor injury. The young basketball players who died were Donald 'DJ' Laster, 14, 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, who also sometimes went by Kyrin Gilstrap, according to Union Public Schools. The boys were members of the Oklahoma Chaos youth basketball program, which called the crash 'an unimaginable tragedy' in a post on the social platform X. Advertisement 4 Kyrin Schumpert and Donald Laster both died in the car accident. Instagram/Oklahoma Chaos 'Please wrap their families and friends with love and support as they try to get through this very difficult time,' the post said. 'Our organization has taken a tremendous hit and we are deeply saddened.' Ron Horton, a teacher at Booker T. Washington, said in a video sent by Tulsa Public Schools that he has seen a lot of kids come and go in his 17 years of teaching and that DJ Laster was 'something special.' 4 The boys were members of the Oklahoma Chaos youth basketball program. Instagram/Oklahoma Chaos Advertisement He said Laster was a quintessential student-athlete who worked as hard at academics as he did at sport during the busy varsity basketball season. He said Laster was among only two freshmen to make the school's varsity team and stood out for how he put others at ease. 'It's just a shock, it is, that he's gone,' Horton said. Two adults traveling with them also died — Wayne Walls, of Talala, Oklahoma, 41, a 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 Braden Walls, 15, also of Talala, Oklahoma. Gilstrap was driving the SUV at the time of the accident. 4 Two adults traveling with them also died — Wayne Walls, a 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. Facebook/Booker T. Washington High School Advertisement The other driver — Alexander Ernst, 37, of Ames, Iowa — also died, along with Madalyn Elliott, 33; John Elliott, 76, and Norleen Elliott, 69, all of Chesterfield, Missouri. The Kansas Highway Patrol said the crash occurred a few miles outside of Greeley, Kansas, a town of fewer than 300 people, at about 5:45 p.m. Sunday, as Gilstrap, the driver of the SUV, attempted to pass a slow-moving vehicle. He and the sedan driven by Ernst were headed toward each other in the northbound lane, and both drivers swerved to avoid a collision, but both went into the northbound shoulder of the highway. The crash caused a fire, and 'both cars burned up,' officials said.
The Independent
06-05-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Teen basketball players were among those who died in a Kansas highway crash that killed 8
Two teenage basketball players, a coach and a trainer from the Tulsa Oklahoma, area who were on their way back from a tournament were among eight people killed in a fiery head-on highway crash in eastern Kansas. Authorities said the other victims in Sunday's crash on a two-lane stretch of U.S. 169 about 60 miles (97 kilometers) southwest of Kansas City, Missouri, included three members of a St. Louis-area family. The crash occurred when a southbound SUV driven by the trainer, carrying the teammates, collided with a northbound sedan with the St. Louis family as passengers, the Kansas Highway Patrol reported. A third teenager from the Tulsa area survived the crash and was hospitalized with what the Highway Patrol described as potentially a minor injury. The young basketball players who died were Donald 'DJ' Laster, 14, 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, who also sometimes went by Kyrin Gilstrap, according to Union Public Schools. The boys were members of the Oklahoma Chaos youth basketball program, which called the crash 'an unimaginable tragedy' in a post on the social platform X. 'Please wrap their families and friends with love and support as they try to get through this very difficult time,' the post said. 'Our organization has taken a tremendous hit and we are deeply saddened.' Ron Horton, a teacher at Booker T. Washington, said in a video sent by Tulsa Public Schools that he has seen a lot of kids come and go in his 17 years of teaching and that DJ Laster was 'something special.' He said Laster was a quintessential student-athlete who worked as hard at academics as he did at sport during the busy varsity basketball season. He said Laster was among only two freshmen to make the school's varsity team and stood out for how he put others at ease. 'It's just a shock, it is, that he's gone,' Horton said. Two adults traveling with them also died — Wayne Walls, of Talala, Oklahoma, 41, a 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 Braden Walls, 15, also of Talala, Oklahoma. Gilstrap was driving the SUV at the time of the accident. The other driver — Alexander Ernst, 37, of Ames, Iowa — also died, along with Madalyn Elliott, 33; John Elliott, 76, and Norleen Elliott, 69, all of Chesterfield, Missouri. The Kansas Highway Patrol said the crash occurred a few miles outside of Greeley, Kansas, a town of fewer than 300 people, at about 5:45 p.m. Sunday, as Gilstrap, the driver of the SUV, attempted to pass a slow-moving vehicle. He and the sedan driven by Ernst were headed toward each other in the northbound lane, and both drivers swerved to avoid a collision, but both went into the northbound shoulder of the highway. The crash caused a fire, and 'both cars burned up,' officials said.
CBS News
06-05-2025
- CBS News
Highway crash in Kansas kills 8, including students, former coach and school employee from Oklahoma
Why pedestrian deaths are rising in the U.S. Why pedestrian deaths are rising in the U.S. Why pedestrian deaths are rising in the U.S. Two vehicles collided head-on and burst into flames on a two-lane highway in rural eastern Kansas, killing eight people, including two high school students, a former teacher-coach and a school employee from Oklahoma, authorities said Monday. The crash occurred at about 5:45 p.m. Sunday on U.S. 169 outside of the small town of Greeley, about 60 miles southwest of Kansas City, Missouri, the Kansas Highway Patrol said. One person escaped from a wrecked vehicle and was hospitalized. Three of those killed were connected with Tulsa Public Schools, the school district confirmed Monday. Booker T. Washington High School student Donald "DJ" Laster died in the crash, along with former Carver Middle School coach and teacher Wayne Walls and Ja'mon Gilstrap, a member of Tulsa Public Schools' transportation team. Laster, Gilstrap and Walls were part of a competitive travel basketball team called the Oklahoma Chaos, KSHB reported. Kyrin Schumpert, a 9th grade student from Union High School Freshman Academy in Tulsa, also died in the crash, according to a Union Public Schools spokesperson. "I am heartbroken for those who lost loved ones, and committed to honoring the immense collective impact each of these people had in Tulsa and in the lives of our young people," Dr. Ebony Johnson, superintendent of Tulsa Public Schools, said in a statement obtained by CBS affiliate KOTV. "I am praying for their families and everyone involved, and hope others will continue to come alongside our students, team members, and families who are hurting." TPS confirms a Booker T. Washington student and staff member died in a Kansas crash over the weekend. Details are still limited. This is a developing story, we will provide updates below ⬇️ — News On 6 (@NewsOn6) May 5, 2025 Ron Horton, a teacher at Booker T. Washington, said in a video sent by Tulsa Public Schools that he has seen a lot of kids come and go in his 17 years of teaching and that DJ Laster was "something special." He said Laster was a quintessential student-athlete who worked as hard at academics as he did at sport during the busy varsity basketball season. "He stood out for his friendliness and just the way he made kids feel at ease. They just felt so comfortable around DJ. He was always smiling," Horton said. "No one had a beef with that guy. He was just a good guy." Horton said Laster was one of only two freshmen to make the varsity basketball team and that Laster worked hard to keep up. "It's just a shock, it is, that he's gone," Horton said. Union Public Schools Superintendent John Federline said in a statement that the district has activated a crisis response team and is offering counselors, school psychologists, and support staff for anyone who may need the support. The crash closed a section of the highway for four hours, and Kansas Highway Patrol Trooper Jodi Clary said authorities were still working at the crash site Monday evening. The cause of the crash remained under investigation. "Both cars burned up," Clary said. The crash happened just days after a pickup truck and tour van collision in Idaho near Yellowstone National Park killed seven people and injured eight others.
