A man has been arrested in the shooting death of a national title-winning University of Wisconsin-Whitewater gymnast near campus, police said.
Whitewater police said the suspect, identified only as a 23-year-old man who knew the victim, shot Kara Welsh, 21, following an altercation at a campus-area apartment late Friday.
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Chancellor Corey King announced Welsh’s death Saturday in a message to students, faculty and staff.
“We know the news of Kara’s death is heartbreaking for our close-knit university community,” King said. “It is a time when we are all called upon to support one another, to process, and to grieve.”
The suspect was taken to Walworth County Jail and booked on suspicion of first-degree intentional homicide, endangering safety while armed and disorderly conduct while armed, police said in a statement. Because his name has not been released, it was unclear whether he is still in jail or if he has retained legal counsel.
The Whitewater Police Department did not respond to a request for more information Sunday evening.
In an earlier statement, the department said a 23-year-old man was present when officers responded to a report of a gunshot victim on Friday. A woman, later identified as Welsh, had been shot multiple times and was dead by the time officers arrived, police said.
“Through investigation, it was determined that leading up to the shooting, an altercation had occurred between the two,” police said.
The killing took place on the 100 block of Whitewater Street, about a mile east of the school’s main campus, at a residence listed on a university web page as off-campus housing.
Welsh was a business management major from Plainfield, Illinois, who won an individual national title on the vault for the gymnastics team last year, according to the school.
She was a vault “phenom” who holds four of the eight highest vault scores in team history, the university’s athletic department said in a statement Sunday.
“To put into words the impact Kara had on the Warhawk community is impossible,” Coach Jen Regan said in the statement. “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.”
USA Gymnastics, the governing body for the sport in the United States, said on social media platform X, “We offer our deepest condolences to Kara’s family, friends and teammates at @UWWGymnastics.”
King said memorial services will be announced when details are available. Flags on campus will fly at half-staff when students, faculty and staff return on Tuesday, and counseling is available to those who need it, he said.
A family member of Walsh’s did not immediately respond to a request for comment Sunday evening.
Whitewater is about 50 miles west-southwest of Milwaukee.
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