CHATHAM, Ill. (AP) — Residents of a small central Illinois city on Tuesday mourned the loss of three children and a teenager killed in a startling crash in which a car barreled through a building used for a popular after-school camp. Authorities said it didn’t appear to be a targeted attack.
The car on Monday left a road, crossed a field and smashed into the side of the building in Chatham used by Youth Needing Other Things Outdoors, also known as YNOT, according to Illinois State Police. It traveled through the building, striking people before exiting the other side. Six children were also hospitalized, including one left in critical condition.
The Sangamon County coroner identified those killed as 18-year-old Rylee Britton of Springfield and three Chatham children: Ainsley Johnson, 8, and Kathryn Corley and Alma Buhnerkempe, both 7.
Chatham grieves together
On Tuesday evening, with red ribbons tied in bows lining Main Street, hundreds of people gathered for a vigil in the town square, where heart-shaped boards bore the names of the four who died. Dozens of people signed messages to each.