By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com
In a press release on Saturday afternoon, the Whitewater Police Department reported that the fatal shooting on Friday evening, August 30 occurred at 147 W. Whitewater Street, apartment #203. This apartment is located above M.E. & My Pets. Officials identified the victim as Kara Welsh, age 21, of Plainfield, Illinois. In a post on the university’s website, Chancellor Corey A. King described Welsh as a “standout member of the Warhawks gymnastics team, winning an individual national title on the vault in 2023.” According to the Facebook post shown above, Welsh was a senior. The chancellor indicated that counseling services will be available to students and faculty. “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 stated. Fall classes begin on Tuesday, September 3, and the chancellor ordered the university’s flag to be lowered to half-staff that day in Welsh’s memory.
The suspect, a 23-year-old male has been arrested and is confined in the Walworth County Jail. Per the Whitewater Police Department’s usual protocol, the suspect will not be identified until he is charged. The charges that are being forwarded to the Walworth County District Attorney’s Office are First-Degree Intentional Homicide, Endangering Safety by the Use of a Dangerous Weapon, and Disorderly Conduct While Armed.
The department indicated that no additional information is being provided at this time due to the fact that this is an ongoing investigation. 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 previous Banner article regarding this incident may be found here.
