A man has been arrested in the US in connection with the fatal shooting of Kara Welsh, a University of Wisconsin-Whitewater gymnast killed this weekend in an off-campus apartment, days before the start of the fall semester.
UW-Whitewater Chancellor Corey King confirmed Welsh’s death Friday local time in a message to the school community, describing her as a “standout member of the Warhawk gymnastics team.”
The 21-year-old rising senior from Plainfield, Illinois, won the national title on the vault last year at the National Collegiate Gymnastics Association Championship and was majoring in business management, according to the school’s athletic department.
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“We know the news of Kara’s death is heartbreaking for our close-knit university community,” King wrote in his message Saturday, three days before the first day of classes. “It is a time when we are all called upon to support one another, to process, and to grieve.”
Officers responded shortly before midnight Friday to an apartment off Main Street in Whitewater, about 80km west of Milwaukee, after receiving a report of a person who had been shot, Whitewater Police said in a news release. There, they found a woman, later identified as Welsh, with multiple gunshot wounds. A 23-year-old man, “who was known” to Welsh, was also in the apartment, police said.
“Through investigation, it was determined that leading up to the shooting, an altercation had occurred between the two,” police said. The release did not describe the relationship between Welsh and the 23-year-old.
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The suspect, who has not been publicly identified, was arrested and is being held at the Walworth County Jail, police said. Police have recommended charges of first-degree homicide, endangering safety by the use of a dangerous weapon and disorderly conduct while armed, to the Walworth County District Attorney’s Office.
The university’s athletic department called Welsh a “phenom on the vault” who “excelled” in “high-pressure situations,” noting she held four of the top eight scores recorded for the vault in the school’s gymnastics’ program history.
“To put into words the impact Kara had on the Warhawk community is impossible,” said Jennifer Regan, the head coach of women’s gymnastics at UW-Whitewater.
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“A powerful athlete, dedicated teammate, and the light in everyone’s dark days, Kara truly lifted each and every one of us up in her time as a Warhawk gymnast. There are no words to describe the void we all feel in our hearts, but Kara’s legacy will live on through Warhawk gymnastics forever.”
A post on an online fundraiser page organised on behalf of Welsh’s family called the gymnast a “daughter, sister, dear friend and teammate” who was looking forward to her senior year.
“Kara had a unique ability to bring joy to any person she crossed paths with, always putting a smile on people’s faces with her sense of humour, unwavering support and sweet disposition,” the campaign said.
The university’s flag will fly at half-staff in Welsh’s memory on Tuesday, said King, the UW-Whitewater chancellor. The university has made counselling services available to students, faculty and staff, and extra support and flexibility will be provided to students who need it.
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