Whitewater police: Altercation leads to shooting death of 21-year-old student, man arrested

WHITEWATER, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Whitewater police are investigating the death of a 21-year-old woman after they say she was found shot, following an altercation with a 23-year-old man. According to UW-Whitewater, the victim was a student. 

Police say they responded to the apparent homicide just before midnight on Fri. Aug. 30, at an apartment near Whitewater and Main Street.

Upon arrival, police found the victim had been shot multiple times, and that the 23-year-old man was also present.

Officials say after an investigation, it was determined that an altercation had occurred between the two, and they arrested the man. 

The victim was identified by police as Kara Welsh from Plainfield, Illinois. She was majoring in management in the College of Business and Economics and was a member of the Warhawk gymnastics team. She was a two-time all-American who won the DIII vault title in 2023.

Ryan Callahan, athletic director at UW-Whitewater, told us, "Kara was just an absolutely beautiful soul. She's an extremely gifted athlete, gifted academically, a strong leader."

Callahan remembered Welsh for her kindness and leadership. "I think we can all agree we're better people because we knew Kara for the time that we did."

UW-Whitewater gymnastics coach Jen Regan wrote, "To put into words the impact Kara had on the Warhawk community is impossible. 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."

One community member said the atmosphere in town tonight got a little quieter. 

"This one dinged on me a lot. I couldn’t, I couldn’t believe what I heard today. I love Kara. She was a great person, I’ll say that," said Brayten Wilkerson, UW-Whitewater Senior.

"People started panicking and I saw cops with their guns drawn out and I heard loud sounds coming from over there, so I told everybody outside to just come in the bar," said Joe Tate, a bouncer who worked nearby. 

A statement from the university said, "A phenom on the vault, Welsh holds four of the top eight scores recorded by a Warhawk gymnast in program history on the apparatus. In addition to her high-caliber gymnastics, Welsh was a dedicated and supportive teammate. Her big personality and passion for motivating those around her helped her teammates succeed."

UW-Whitewater says counseling services will be available for faculty and students. They will also be flying flags at half-mast on Tuesday in Welsh's memory. 

Anyone with information relevant to this investigation should contact the Whitewater Police Department at 262-473-0555 option #4. Anonymous tips may also be shared using P3Tips.com.

A GoFundMe has been created for Welsh's family in her honor.