Oklahoma crash woman on murder charges

Witness Dave Kapple told the Stillwater News Press that “people were flying everywhere” after the vehicle barreled into the crowd. Bui said he could have been killed if the vehicle hadn’t struck a motorcycle before it plowed into the crowd, which may have slowed its speed.

The woman whose auto plowed into a crowd of people during the Oklahoma State homecoming celebration, killing four and injuring dozens more, may have blacked out at the time of the incident, her lawyer said on Sunday.

“I have represented and am now representing several with mental illnesses and in my opinion, Ms. Chambers suffers from a mental illness – exactly what type is unknown”, Coleman said.

Authorities did not release additional information about Chambers, except that she lived in Stillwater. The Stillwater Police Department is still waiting on the blood tests for drugs and alcohol, but if these allegations are true it may mean the accident was a frightful tragedy, not murder by a drunken driver. “I’m not a psychologist or psychiatrist, but I can tell you she’s suffering from mental illness”, he said.

He said she became aware of the situation and remembers shards of glass and being confused as she was being pulled from of the auto.

He said he spoke with Chambers for about an hour, adding, “During that entire interview, I was not satisfied at all that I was communicating with a competent individual”.

One thing he didn’t waver on – Coleman said he believes Chambers is suicidal and was previous to the crash.

Chambers will have an initial court appearance on Monday, police say.

The suspect’s father, Floyd Chambers of Oologah, told The Oklahoman newspaper he couldn’t believe his daughter was involved and said she was not an alcoholic. Floyd Chambers couldn’t be reached for comment Sunday by The Associated Press.

In total, four people were killed when a grey Hyundai Elantra with a suspected drunk driver crashed into the throng in Stillwater, nearly 130km northeast of Oklahoma City.

Of the 47 people treated after the crash, 17 remained hospitalized and four were in critical condition Sunday, officials said.

Three adults – identified in the police statement as Nakita Prabhakar, 23, of Edmond, Oklahoma; Bonnie Jean Stone, 65; and Marvin Lyle Stone, 65, both of Stillwater – were pronounced dead at the scene. “The Oklahoma State University Homecoming parade is the most wholesome of events and to have it marred in such a way is incomprehensible”. “He just really had a gift for connecting with students and helping them learn”, Elliott said in a telephone interview.

A man who was standing next to one of the critically injured at the parade said he recalls a sound and then Leo Schmitz, his stepfather, was gone.

“The families, I know, and these victims will never be able to understand this, nor will we”, Hargis said.

Witnesses of the crash described a scene of chaos as bodies flew into the air from the impact and landed on the road.

“I just want to start by saying how sorry our staff, the Oklahoma State family and our team is about the incident earlier today”, Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy said Saturday, according to the Tulsa World’s John Hoover.

One of the injured had been a baby sitter of hers, she said.