GREELEY, Kan. — A tragic highway accident in eastern Kansas claimed the lives of eight people, including two basketball players, their coaches, and trainers from Tulsa, Oklahoma, who were returning from a tournament.
Authorities reported that among the deceased were three individuals from the St. Louis area involved in a collision on a two-lane highway about 60 miles southwest of Kansas City, Missouri. The incident occurred when a South Sub-SUV carrying a teammate collided with a northbound sedan occupied by a St. Louis family.
The third teenager from the Tulsa area survived the crash but was taken to the hospital with what officials described as possibly minor injuries.
One of the young athletes who lost his life was Donald “DJ” Ruster, a student at Booker T. Washington High School in Tulsa. Another victim, Kirin Shumpert, a ninth grader at Union High School Freshman Academy, shared the same basketball program.
The boys were part of the Oklahoma Kaos Youth Basketball Program, which referred to the event as an “unimaginable tragedy” in a post on Social Platform X.
“I will wrap my family and friends with love and support as I try to get through this extremely difficult time,” a coach expressed. “Our organization has been hit hard, and we are deeply saddened.”
Ron Horton, a teacher at Booker T. Washington, described DJ Ruster in a video from Tulsa Public Schools, noting that many students have come and gone over the years, but Ruster was “special.”
Horton added that Ruster was a dedicated student-athlete, balancing his academics and sports during a busy varsity basketball season. He noted that Ruster was among only two freshmen to make the varsity team, a testament to his encouraging nature.
“It’s just a shock, he’s gone,” Horton reflected.
Additionally, Wayne Walls, a former teacher and coach from Talara, Oklahoma, along with Jamon Gillstrap, a trainer and driver for the Tulsa Public Schools traffic team, also perished in the accident. A survivor from Talara, 15-year-old Braden Walls, was traveling with them.
Alexander Ernst, 37, from Ames, Iowa, died in the crash, along with Madalyn Elliott, 33, and two older family members, John Elliott, 76, and Norleen Elliott, 69, from Chesterfield, Missouri.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported that the crash occurred around 5:45 PM on a Sunday in Greeley, Kansas, a small town with fewer than 300 residents. The accident happened when Gilstrap, the SUV driver, attempted to pass a slow-moving vehicle. Both drivers swerved to avoid the impending collision but ended up on the shoulders of the highway, leading to a fire that engulfed both vehicles.
