STILLWATER, Okla. – A woman accused of killing four people and injuring dozens of others this past weekend at a homecoming celebration in Stillwater went before a judge for the first time on Monday.
On Saturday morning, thousands of people were lining the streets of Stillwater to enjoy Oklahoma State University’s annual homecoming parade.
Shortly after 10:30 a.m., the parade took a tragic turn.
Mark McNitt was one of those people watching as the parade floats made their way along Main St.
McNitt remembers a gust of wind, a sound and then chaos.
He escaped with just a few bumps and bruises, but his stepfather was rushed to a hospital in critical condition.
Tragically, many others were not so lucky.
“This car just went in through the crowd, just burst into the crowd,” said Gail Lamb. “I saw a body that had been just covered up and the arm was still sticking out, then I looked a little bit farther and it looked like another couple of bodies were covered up.”
In all, authorities say four people were killed and 46 others were injured in the crash.
Among the fatalities were a 2-year-old boy and two former members of the OSU faculty.
Immediately after the crash, Chambers was taken into custody for suspicion of driving under the influence.
However, those charges were upgraded to four counts of second-degree murder.
Chambers’ attorney, Tony Coleman, says he doesn’t believe his client was drunk at the time of the crash. Instead, he says he believes that mental illness may have played a role.
“Her responses to my questions, her reactions to information that I supplied her with led me to be concerned about her capacity and her competency at this time,” Coleman said.
Coleman says Chambers had “no real response” after hearing about the people that died in the crash.
“When I, in fact, informed her that four people had indeed perished, the reaction that I got was one that confirmed what I believed from the very beginning, that she was lacking in capacity or was under some other influences other than drugs or alcohol,” Coleman said.
According to the probable cause affidavit, officials say Chambers was suicidal at the time of the crash.
“Upon booking, defendant admitted to having a history of suicidal attempts and admitted to booking staff that she was suicidal at the time of the incident but not at the time of booking,” the affidavit reads.
Officials at several hospitals that received patients from the crash say many of those patients are being sent home.
However, it will still be a long road to recovery for many of those victims, who are now left with medical bills.
If you would like to help some of those patients, the Stillwater Medical Center Foundation has set up the “#Stillwater Strong Fund” to help those in need.
For more information, visit the foundation’s website.
On Monday afternoon, a judge set Chambers’ bond at $1 million.
A prosecutor told the judge that she is concerned a fifth victim may not survive, which would mean Chambers could face an additional second-degree murder charge.
The judge is allowing the state two weeks to file formal charges.
Chambers’ next hearing is set for Nov. 13.
