Off The Record
Renowned College Gymnast, 21, Shot And Killed In An Off-campus Residence; Boyfriend, 23, Arrested
According to college friends, the “heartbreaking” loss of 21-year-old gymnast Kara Welsh, who her boyfriend shot and killed, has devastated her friends and family.
On August 30, the national champion was found dead in her off-campus residence. A buddy of the couple says he “beats” himself up for not sharing “just one more” moment that “could change” what occurred.
Continue reading about Welsh’s sad demise.
On Saturday, August 31, Sierra Brooks heard her best friend and former teammate Kara Welsh was shot and killed the night before.
“I can’t even wrap my head around how someone could do this, let alone to such a beautiful person,” she writes in a tribute to the 21-year-old Welsh, a University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (UWW) student who was majoring in business and economics.
Welsh, a gymnast, earned a vault title in 2023.
A statement said the Plainfield, Illinois, student was found deceased in an off-campus apartment at 11:54 p.m. on August 30.
Multiple shots hit her.
When police arrived, a 23-year-old male who was known to Welsh was also in the home, and “it was determined that leading up to the shooting, an altercation had occurred between the two.”
‘Heartbreaking’
“Absolutely heartbreaking to receive a phone call like this one. Kara, you deserved the world and more,” shares Brooks, who in her earlier years trained with Welsh at the Aspire Gymnastics Academy. “Wish I could just see you one more time. Wish I could laugh with you just one more time. Wish I could hug you one more time.”
Aspire posted several images of the gymnast and a heartfelt tribute on Facebook.
“As Kara grew, so did Aspire. She was a constant in a sport that is filled with ups and downs. She was full of life and full of personality,” the training center writes. “Kara had a way of communicating through facial expressions that was second to none. Aspire lost a piece of its heart today. Kara, we love you.”
Corey King, chancellor at UWW, released a statement on August 31 calling Welsh “a standout member of the Warhawk gymnastics team,” He shares that “news of Kara’s death is heartbreaking for our close-knit university community.”
“I hate that evil touched this sweet girl’s life,” writes a friend on Facebook, who shares the tribute posted by Aspire. Referring to Welsh’s sister Kaeli, the netizen continues, “The Welsh girls showed us how to be gym sisters but so much more. Kara was all heart. The loss is unfathomable.”
“I beat myself up.”
Since the suspect has not been charged, police have not disclosed his name.
Friends say they were dating and that Chad Richards was helping Welsh move into her apartment.
“Sometimes I beat myself up; if I was able to see them that day, maybe…just one more joke, one more memory we could make…could change,” says Brayten Wilkerson, a friend of both Welsh and the suspect, who was a member of the UWW wrestling team. Speaking with ABC affiliate WISN, Wilkerson continues, “Kara was a sweetheart. She was one of the best people you could meet. Her family did a great job raising her – a wonderful woman.”
Meanwhile, the organizer of a GoFundMe says that loved ones are “deeply saddened” by Welsh’s death. “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 humor, unwavering support and sweet disposition.”
“Kara, 21 years old, was excited to be in her rising senior year as a gymnast at UW-Whitewater, which was abruptly cut short on August 30th, by a heartless act of violence.”
Whitewater police said first-degree intentional homicide, endangering safety with a dangerous weapon, and disorderly conduct while armed are “being forwarded” to the Walworth County District Attorney Office.
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