Children among four people killed in Illinois after car rams through building, others injured

Four people were killed in a small Illinois town on Monday afternoon when a driver crashed a car through a building during an after-school camp, local police said.

The incident, which saw the driver crash into three people before hitting a fourth person while smashing through the building, occurred at approximately 3:20 p.m. local time, according to the Associated Press. The incident occurred at a building that holds the Youth Needing Other Things Outdoors organization in Chatham, Illinois.

The first three fatalities occurred outside the building, while the fourth occurred indoors. All four deaths were of people between the ages of four and 18, the Illinois State Police told Fox News. 

“I am horrified and deeply saddened by the deaths of children and numerous injuries in Chatham this afternoon,” Illinois Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker said in a statement. “My heart is heavy for these families and the unimaginable grief they’re experiencing – something that no parent should ever have to endure.”

Other people were injured in the incident, but the number is not clear and they have been transported to local hospitals via ambulance and helicopter, according to the Springfield State Journal- Register. 

It was not immediately clear whether the incident was intentional. But the driver, who was uninjured, has been taken to a hospital for evaluation, Chatham Police Department Deputy Chief Scott Tarter told reporters.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.