WHITEWATER — Kara Welsh, a 21-year-old UW-Whitewater student from Plainfield, Ill. was killed in a shooting Friday and a man was arrested on homicide charges, according to the Whitewater Police Department.
Welsh was shot multiple times in an apartment in the old Wisconsin Dairy Supply Co. building. Police arrested a 23-year-old man who supposedly knew Welsh and will refer several charges to the Walworth County District Attorney's Office, including first-degree intentional homicide, endangering safety by the use of a dangerous weapon and disorderly conduct while armed.
Police discovered there was likely an altercation between Welsh and the suspect before the shooting took place.
An initial notification to campus students by UW-Whitewater Chancellor Corey King let students know police were confident there was no additional danger following the arrest of the 23-year-old.
In a later message posted to the university website, King gave more information about Welsh.
Watch: What we know about the shooting death of Kara Welsh:
She was majoring in management in the university's College of Business and Economics and she was an accomplished gymnast. Welsh won the individual national title in the vault in 2023 for the school's team, the Warhawks. She also held four of the top eight scores for the vault in the history of the school's program.
"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," King wrote.
In a statement by the gymnastics department, Welsh was described as a dedicated and supportive teammate with a big personality and a passion for motivating those around her.
"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," Coach Jen Reagan said in a press release.
The university offered counseling services for students at the University of Health and Counseling Services. Faculty and staff can contact Acentra through theemployee assistance program.
King directed the university flag to fly at half-staff on Tuesday in Welsh's memory.
Welsh's family and family friends posted a GoFundMe to help support the family. If anyone wants to contribute, the fundraiser can be found here.
The Wisconsin State Crime Lab, Walworth County Sheriff's Office and the UW-Whitewater Police Department all helped with the investigation.
The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information can call WPD at (262) 473-0555 or submit a tip online with P3Tips.com.
