Tragedy struck the community of Chatham, Illinois, as a crash at a building hosting an after-school program killed four people. Several others were injured in the crash, and the victims of the YNOT After School Camp killings are believed to range in age from four to 18, per police. The cause of the crash is under investigation, as the tragedy occurred on Monday afternoon. The incident occurred about three miles south of Springfield, the state capital of Illinois.
Chatham School Tragedy
Police said today that the tragic incident “does not appear to be a targeted attack”. The driver hit and stuck the YNOT After School Camp building on Monday afternoon in Chatham, killing four minors: 7-year-old Alma Buhnerkempke, 8-year-old Ainsley Johnson, 18-year-old Rylee Britton, and 7-year-old Kathryn Corley, per the Sangamon County Coroner’s Office. Billie Buhnerkempe, Alma’s mom, said in a statement that her daughter “was a ray of sunshine.”
Billie continued honoring her daughter, “She was a sweet, outgoing, silly, and funny. She loved her friends and family fiercely. She loved playing soccer, basketball, and doing gymnastics. She loved to travel and went to 17 states in her short life. Her brother Will has autism, and she loved and supported him the only way a big sister could.” Per the coroner, all victims died from multiple blunt force injuries.
Six other children suffered injuries and were taken to hospitals, including one who is in critical condition. According to Jamie Loftus, the camp founder, the SUV drove through a farm field before striking the east wall of the camp building. The driver, Marianne Akers, 44, of Chatham, is currently not in custody, according to police. Akers, the lone person in the SUV, was not hurt in the incident. In other news regarding crashes, there was a bit of an epidemic of tragic plane crashes.
In a statement, Loftus said, “I cannot gather the words to express much of anything that will make sense in print. However, I do know that our families who suffered loss and injury today are hurting very, very badly. They are friends, and their kids are like our kids. The Village of Chatham and Ball Chatham Schools are going to need their populations and that of the outside world to love them, pray for them, and think of them.”
Final Thoughts
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said in an X post, “Our community lost a group of bright and innocent young people with their whole lives ahead of them. Parents said goodbye to their kids this morning, not knowing it would be the last time. My heart is heavy for these families and the unimaginable grief they’re experiencing, something that no parent should ever have to endure.” The Chatham Baptist Church was used as a coming together moment for families and kids affected by the YNOT tragedy. Earlier this month, a Wisconsin teen was arrested for attempting to assassinate Donald Trump and killing his parents.
