Twin boys and an older sister heading to school were killed Tuesday morning in Indiana and a fourth child was flown to a hospital with serious injuries after they were struck as they tried to board their school bus.
The Indianapolis Star reports that the children were hit by a pickup truck at their bus stop north of Rochester in Fulton County.
The bus was stopped with its lights flashing and its stop arm extended as the pickup truck drove through the area, police say. The truck was traveling in the opposite direction of the school bus.
The victims were two 6-year-old twin boys, Xzavier and Mason Ingle, and their 9-year-old sister, Alivia Stahl, police says. The fourth child, airlifted to a Fort Wayne hospital, was an 11-year-old boy.
The driver of the pickup truck, a 2017 Toyota Tacoma, is Alyssa L. Shepherd, 24. She faces three felony charges of reckless homicide and a misdemeanor of passing a school bus with the arm extended. She was released on a $15,000 bond.
The names of the victims and the driver have not been disclosed. It remains unclear which school they were heading to.
Rochester is about 100 miles north of Indianapolis.
In response to the crash, the Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation released the following statement:
"Our school corporation has suffered a tragedy this morning. We have learned of three student fatalities and one student seriously injured and airlifted to a Fort Wayne hospital as they were hit by a vehicle while boarding their bus. We have deployed all school counselors to meet the emotional needs of our staff, students and parents.We are awaiting to learn more confirmed details but wish to ask the community to come together to pray for the families, our students and our staff."
