University of Wisconsin-Whitewater gymnast Kara Welsh, who police say was shot to death in an off-campus apartment Aug. 30, was remembered as a showjumping champion who was “full of life and personality.”
Her shooting death is causing fear, shock and sadness in the rural college town of about 15,600 people.
“OMG… so sad. It makes me sad for all the students. 🥺,” one woman wrote in the comments thread on the Walworth County Facebook page. “Man, this is horrible,” another person wrote in the thread. “Devastating,” another person wrote.
“Last night, when we were leaving the bar, we must have seen fifteen police cars. And people began fleeing the building—it was terrifying to witness,” Sam Padden, a student at the University of Washington-Whitewater, said WMTV15 News.
On its Facebook page, UW-Whitewater Warhawk Athletics shared a picture of Kara Welsh and a statement from the chancellor of the university. “We regret to inform you of the passing of a University of Wisconsin–Whitewater student. Chancellor Corey King wrote, “Kara Welsh, 21, of Plainfield, Illinois, died in an off-campus shooting on Friday, August 30, 2024.”
The Warhawk Athletics page said, “We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of one of our own, UW-Whitewater Warhawk gymnastics senior Kara Welsh,” in addition to the post.
On August 31, the Whitewater Police Department released a statement describing the death as a “homicide.”
“The Whitewater Police Department is releasing the following information to update the public on the status of this ongoing investigation. The incident occurred at Apartment #203 of 147 W Whitewater Street. The victim in this case has been identified as Kara Welsh, 21, of Plainfield, Illinois. This information was previously withheld pending formal notification of next of kin,” police wrote.
