UW-Whitewater Gymnast Kara Welsh - Photo by ABC 7 Chicago
WHITEWATER, WI (WSAU) – Authorities have provided an update in regards to the 23-year-old suspect who was taken into custody by police concerning the death of a national gymnastics champion who was 21 years old and a student at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.
Plainfield, Illinois native Kara Welsh, who took home the individual national title for the vault at the NCAA Division III championships in 2023, was shot at an off-campus apartment building on Friday, August 30, according to authorities, with the suspect being identified as Chad T. Richards who will appear in Walworth Circuit Court on Tuesday afternoon.
According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, police believe Welsh and Richards knew one another and that the shooting occurred after Welsh and Richards got into an argument in the apartment. Police requested that the Walworth County District Attorney’s Office investigate the possibility of charging him with first-degree intentional murder, endangering public safety by using a dangerous weapon, and disorderly conduct while carrying a weapon.
UW-Whitewater Athletic director Ryan Callahan described Welsh as “an amazing person, student, and athlete” who “was selfless and made everyone around her better.” In observance of Welsh, UW-Whitewater Chancellor Corey King directed on-campus flags to fly at half-staff on Tuesday. A GoFundMe page has been created in hopes of raising $40,000 to help support her sister Keli and parents, Nancy and Tom Welsh, with funeral costs and other expenses.
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