Man arrested in fatal shooting of title-winning college gymnast in Wisconsin

A man has been arrested in the shooting death of a national title-winning University of Wisconsin-Whitewater gymnast near campus, police said.

Whitewater police said the suspect, identified only as a 23-year-old man who knew the victim, shot Kara Welsh, 21, after an altercation at a campus-area apartment late Friday.

University Chancellor Corey King announced Welsh’s death Saturday in a message to students and faculty and staff members.

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

The suspect was taken to Walworth County Jail and booked on suspicion of first-degree intentional homicide, endangering safety while armed and disorderly conduct while armed, police said in a statement. Because his name has not been released, it was unclear whether he is still in jail or whether he has retained legal counsel.

Whitewater police did not respond to a request for more information Sunday evening.

In an earlier statement, the police department said a 23-year-old man was present when officers responded to a report of a gunshot victim Friday. A woman, later identified as Welsh, had been shot multiple times and was dead when officers arrived, police said.

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

The killing took place on the 100 block of Whitewater Street, about a mile east of the school’s main campus, at a residence listed on a university web page as off-campus housing.

Welsh was a business management major from Plainfield, Illinois, who won an individual national title on the vault for the gymnastics team last year, according to the school.

She was a vault “phenom” who holds four of the eight highest vault scores in team history, the university’s athletic department said in a statement Sunday.

“To put into words the impact Kara had on the Warhawk community is impossible,” coach Jen Regan said in the statement. “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.”

USA Gymnastics, the governing body for the sport in the U.S., said on X, “We offer our deepest condolences to Kara’s family, friends and teammates at @UWWGymnastics.”

King said memorial services will be announced when details are available. Flags on campus will fly at half-staff when students and faculty and staff members return Tuesday, and counseling is available to those who need it, he said.

A relative of Walsh’s did not immediately respond to a request for comment Sunday evening.

Whitewater is about 50 miles west-southwest of Milwaukee.