BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri man is charged with second-degree murder for the deaths of two children in a vehicle he struck from behind on Interstate 70 near Kansas City.

Jackson County prosecutor Jean Peters Baker says 60-year-old James Green of Odessa also is charged with two counts of second-degree assault and drunken driving for the crash Monday evening in Blue Springs.

Prosecutors say Green told a trooper his Cadillac Escalade was on cruise control when he looked down at his phone and didn’t look up in time to avoid hitting an SUV. Three other vehicles also were involved.

The crash killed 7-year-old Chloe Beaird and 13-year-old Gavin Beaird, both of Warrenton. Two adults in the vehicle were seriously injured.

It was unclear after hours Tuesday if Green had obtained an attorney.