Wisconsin: According to authorities, a man has been detained in connection with the shooting death of a University of Wisconsin-Whitewater gymnast who won a national title close to campus. Kara Welsh, 21, was shot by the suspect, who Whitewater police said was simply a 23-year-old guy who knew the victim, during a fight at an apartment near the university late on Friday night.
Welsh’s passing was disclosed by Corey King, the university chancellor, in a message to staff, instructors, and students on Saturday. King stated, “We are aware that the news of Kara’s passing is devastating for our closely-knitted university community.” “We are all called upon at this time to back one another, process, and grieve.”
The Homicide Occurred
Following his transfer to Walworth County Jail, the defendant was charged with first-degree intentional assassination, endangering safety while carrying a weapon, and disorderly conduct while carrying a weapon, according to a statement from police. It’s unknown if he is in jail or if he has hired legal representation because his identity hasn’t been revealed. An information request made Sunday night was not answered by Whitewater police.
The department of police said earlier in a statement that a male, 23, was present when they responded to a call on Friday about a victim of a gunshot. When police arrived, a lady who would ultimately be identified as Welsh was dead from several gunshot wounds.
“By means of investigation, it was found that following up to the shooting, a dispute had taken place between the two,” the police stated. The apartment where the homicide occurred was described as off-campus lodging on a university website. It was located on the 100 block of Whitewater Street, approximately one mile east of the school’s main campus.
Welsh, a Plainfield, Illinois native majoring in business administration, was the gymnastics team’s individual national vault champion the previous year, as per the school. According to a statement released by the university’s athletic department on Sunday, she was a vault “phenom” and possesses four of the eight greatest vault scores in the history of the team.
A Shining Beacon In Everyone’s Dark Times
Coach Jen Regan noted in the statement, “It is impossible to put into sentence the impact Kara possessed on the Warhawk community.” “A powerful athlete, devoted teammate, and a shining beacon in everyone’s times of darkness, Kara truly raised every single one of us up during her time of being a Warhawk gymnast.”
The American organization that oversees gymnastics, USA Gymnastics, expressed their heartfelt sympathies to Kara’s family, friends, as well as her teammates at @UWWGymnastics on X. When information is available, memorial services shall be publicized, according to King. When students, instructors, and staff return on Tuesday, the flags on campus will fly at half staff, and he noted that counseling is accessible to anyone who needs it.
