Thread: Football Coach Killed By 16yr Old Illegal Alien Driver

Charges Filed In Wreck That Killed Ex-Coach
16-Year-Old Charged With Involuntary Manslaughter

POSTED: 1:20 pm CDT April 5, 2006
UPDATED: 9:43 pm CDT April 5, 2006

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Wyandotte County, Kan., prosecutors filed charges Wednesday in a wreck that killed a former football coach at Olathe North High School.

David K. Bassore, 51, of Liberty, was driving home from work Monday on Interstate 35 near the 18th Street Expressway exit when his pickup truck was clipped by a Dodge Neon. Bassore's pickup went off the road, rolling twice before it stopped on its side. Bassore was thrown from the vehicle. He died at the scene.

Prosecutors charged the driver of the Neon, 16-year-old Raul Cabrera, of Shawnee, Kan., with one count of involuntary manslaughter in juvenile court.

Officials said Cabrera is an illegal immigrant, and the judge decided the teen should remain in custody.


The Kansas Highway Patrol is still investigating the fatal wreck, but they suspect Cabrera was drag racing with another car.

KMBC's Maria Antonia reported that Cabrera's mother said her son was not racing; he was being chased by another driver and that he had been followed for several days.

Officials said they are considering charging Cabrera as an adult or upping the charge to second-degree murder.

Vigil Held For Coach

Bassore had recently resigned from his coaching position at Olathe after being at the school a year.

Wednesday night, Olathe students held a vigil for their former coach.

"He'd probably say, 'What are you guys crying over me for? I want you guys to be positive and happy,'" football player Jarod Milo said.

"Really made you feel at home, at school, and made it a fun thing and brought a smile to everybody," student Kim Burnell said. "We just want to get people involved and let them know who he was and if they didn't know him, let them know what a great person he was."

"He loved every player on his team and we loved him back," football player Raymond Due said.

E-Mail: Contact Maria Antonia

Previous Story:
April 4, 2006: Ex-Olathe Football Coach Killed In I-35 Wreck
http://www.thekansascitychannel.com/new ... etail.html

just another one of Bush's good-hearted, hard-working folks with stupendous family values and horrible driving skills

http://www.belleville.com/mld/bellevill ... 278595.htm

Posted on Thu, Apr. 06, 2006


Prosecutors say suspect in fatal wreck might have been racing


Associated Press

KANSAS CITY, Kan. - The Kansas Highway Patrol was investigating the possibility that organized illegal street racing might have contributed to an accident that killed a former football coach.

Raul R. Cabrera, who authorities said was an illegal immigrant, was charged Tuesday in the juvenile division of Wyandotte County District Court with one count of involuntary manslaughter in the death of former Olathe North High School coach David Bassore.

A judge ordered Cabrera, 16, held as a flight risk after prosecutors argued he was not enrolled in school and was in the country illegally. Cabrera's attorney, Patricia Aylward Kalb, said the teen pleaded not guilty.

Bassore, who was a coach at William Jewell College in Liberty, Mo., before his tenure in Olathe, died Monday in the crash on Interstate 35.

Wyandotte County District Attorney Jerome Gorman said the Highway Patrol was investigating whether Cabrera was part of a group that races souped-up cars on streets and highways. Depending on the outcome of the investigation, Gorman said, Cabrera could be tried as an adult or charged with second-degree murder.

Prosecutors allege Cabrera's Dodge Neon clipped Bassore's pickup as the former coach was driving home to Liberty, causing the truck to hit the median divider and roll over in a ditch.

Authorities said a preliminary investigation indicated Cabrera was racing with another car. Its driver was questioned by the Highway Patrol but not arrested.

"As soon as we get all the information, we expect to find the driving very erratic and at a very high speed," Gorman said. "That is a lot different than just running a red light, especially on I-35 at that time of day. ... We hope to be able to have the evidence by the time we go to trial that it was much worse than just plain negligence."

The next hearing was set for May 16.


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Information from: The Kansas City Star, http://www.kcstar.com