Suspect Identified In Shooting Death of Wisconsin Gymnast Kara Welsh

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A suspect “known” to the 21-year-old victim has been named by police; he’s facing first-degree murder charges in her death.

Police have named the 23-year-old suspect accused of fatally shooting 21-year-old University of Wisconsin-Whitewater gymnast Kara Welsh.

On Tuesday, the Whitewater Police Department confirmed Chad T. Richards of Loves Park, Illinois was the suspect previously arrested on Friday night.

Richards faces charges of first-degree intentional homicide, endangering safety while armed and disorderly conduct while armed. Police said the charges have been forwarded to the Walworth County District Attorney’s Office; Richards is scheduled to appear in court sometime today.

An earlier release from police on Saturday evening said authorities responded to a call about a gunshot wound and found a deceased 21-year-old female, later identified as Welsh, who had sustained multiple gunshot wounds.

Per police, a male “who was known” to the victim — who we now know is Richards — was present at the apartment when they arrived on the scene.

“Through investigation, it was determined that leading up to the shooting, an altercation had occurred between the two,” police said at the time. While Richards was initially detained, police said later on Saturday that he had been arrested, while also confirming Welsh’s name.

The shooting reportedly happened at a residence the school lists as off-campus housing on their website.

Welsh was remembered by the school’s gymnastics team in a statement released Sunday. According to the department, she was a national champion and two-time All-American gymnast.

“A phenom on the vault, Welsh holds four of the top eight scores recorded by a Warhawk gymnast in program history on the apparatus,” read the statement. “In addition to her high-caliber gymnastics, Welsh was a dedicated and supportive teammate. Her big personality and passion for motivating those around her helped her teammates succeed.”

Per the department, Welsh was majoring in business management and helped lead the school’s gymnastics program to a number of championship wins.

She was also remembered by USA Gymnastics, which took to X to share, “We offer our deepest condolences to Kara’s family, friends and teammates at @UWWGymnastics.”



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