Tragic Loss: National Collegiate Gymnastics Champion Kara Welsh, 21, Fatally Shot Near Wisconsin-Whitewater Campus – Suspect Arrested

Authorities arrested a suspect this weekend in the fatal shooting of Kara Welsh, a 21-year-old gymnast from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, at an off-campus apartment.

Police reported that a 23-year-old man allegedly shot Kara Welsh, who won an individual national title on the vault for the gymnastics team last year, multiple times at an apartment just a block from the university’s main campus on Friday.

The New York Post reports,

Police have not released the name of the suspect, but they said they believe she knew him.

The nature of their relationship was not clear.

Police said officers arrived just before midnight Friday and found Welsh dead with multiple gunshot wounds.

“Also present in the apartment was a 23-year-old male who was known to the deceased female,” the statement said.

“Through investigation, it was determined that leading up to the shooting, an altercation had occurred between the two.”

The suspect now faces charges of first-degree intentional homicide, endangering safety with a dangerous weapon, and disorderly conduct while armed, according to a subsequent police statement. The investigation remains ongoing, they added.

Heading into her senior year at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Welsh was a management major and a member of the school’s Warhawk gymnastics team.

University Chancellor Corey King informed students and faculty of Welsh’s death in a message on Saturday.

“Kara Welsh, age 21, from Plainfield, Illinois, died in a shooting off campus on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024,” he wrote.

“Kara was majoring in management in our College of Business and Economics and was a standout member of the Warhawk gymnastics team, winning an individual national title on the vault in 2023.

“We know the news of Kara’s death is heartbreaking for our close-knit university community.

“It is a time when we are all called upon to support one another, to process, and to grieve.”

He also mentioned that counseling services would be provided to UW-Whitewater students, faculty, and staff to support them during this difficult time. Additionally, the school’s flag will be flown at half-staff on September 3, the start of the fall semester, in honor of Welsh’s memory.

In support of her family, a GoFundMe page has been established to assist her parents, Nancy and Tom Welsh, and her sister, Kaeli, during this tragic time.