06-05-2025
Car crash in Kansas leaves 8 dead, including students, staff from Oklahoma schools
Car crash in Kansas leaves 8 dead, including students, staff from Oklahoma schools 'Many branches of our Tulsa Public Schools family are in mourning today,' Tulsa Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Ebony Johnson said in a statement to a local TV station.
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USA TODAY
A crash over the weekend in Kansas left eight people dead, including two students, a staff member and a former coach from public schools in Tulsa, Oklahoma, officials said.
According to a Kansas Highway Patrol crash log, the crash happened around 5:43 p.m. on May 4 and involved a 2016 GMC Yukon and a 2016 Subaru Legacy.
The truck was being driven by 33-year-old Jaimon Gilstrap, a staff member who worked at the transportation department, Tulsa Public Schools told News on 6. Apart from Gilstrap, Donald 'DJ' Laster, who attended Booker T. Washington High School and Wayne Walls, a former Carver Middle School coach and teacher, also died in the crash.
The fourth casualty from Tulsa was a 9th-grade student, Union Public Schools told USA TODAY in a statement. The student was identified by police as 14-year-old Kyron Gilstrap.
'On behalf of the entire Union Public Schools community, I extend our deepest condolences to the student's family, friends, and loved ones,' Union Public Schools Superintendent John Federline said. 'We have activated our crisis response team and are providing additional counseling resources at the Union Freshman Academy and across the district.'
According to police, the four casualties in the other vehicle were identified as Alexander R. Ernst, 37, John D. Elliott, 76, Madalyn N. Elliott, 33 and Norleen L. Elliott, 69.
'Lost friends, brothers, sons and fathers'
Tulsa Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Ebony Johnson confirmed the deaths of Gilstrap, Laster and Walls in a statement sent to News on 6.
'Many branches of our Tulsa Public Schools family are in mourning today. In a car accident in Kansas on Sunday,' Johnson said. '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."
A teacher at Booker T. Washington High School told the same news station that Laster was a hard-working student.
"I've taught a number of students who've moved on to D1, even the NFL, and there is a thing about them, and that is they work as hard at the academics as they do at their sport," Horton said.
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.
