College gymnast from Chicago suburbs shot and killed near University of Wisconsin-Whitewater

A Chicago-area college student, who was a gymnast at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, was shot and killed in an apartment late Friday night, Whitewater police said.

Kara Welsh, 21, of Plainfield, Illinois, was found with multiple gunshot wounds when police responded to an apartment at around 11:54 p.m. in the 100 block of Whitewater Street, police said.

Police said late Saturday a 23-year-old man had been taken into custody on charges of first-degree intentional homicide, endangering safety by use of a dangerous weapon and disorderly conduct while armed. An altercation occurred between Welsh and the unidentified suspect prior to the shooting, police revealed.

UW-Whitewater Chancellor Corey King announced Welsh’s death in a message to the campus community, writing she was majoring in management at the College of Business and Economics and a standout member of the Warhawk gymnastics team.

“We know the news of Kara’s death is heartbreaking for our close-knit university community,” he said, in part. “It is a time when we are all called upon to support one another, to process, and to grieve.”

UW-Whitewater Warhawk Athletics posted about Welsh’s death on Facebook, saying, “Our hearts are broken with the tragic loss of one of our own, UW-Whitewater Warhawk Gymnastics senior Kara Welsh.”