Kara Welsh, a 21-year-old star gymnast, has left her loved ones devastated after she was shot and killed. College friends have identified the person responsible as her boyfriend.
Kara, a national champion, was found dead in her off-campus apartment on August 30. A friend of the couple said he wishes he had spent “just one more” moment with her, hoping it could have “changed” what happened.
On August 31, Sierra Brooks, Kara’s best friend and former teammate, learned the tragic news that Kara had been shot the night before.
“I can’t believe someone could do this, especially to such a beautiful person,” Sierra wrote in a tribute to Kara. Kara was a student at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where she was majoring in business and economics.
In 2023, Kara won an individual gymnastics title on the vault.
Kara Welsh, a student from Plainfield, Illinois, was found dead in her off-campus apartment around 11:54 p.m. on August 30. She had been shot several times.
When police arrived, they found a 23-year-old man, who knew Kara, in the home. It was determined that an argument had taken place between the two before the shooting.
“Heartbreaking”
Sierra Brooks, Kara’s friend who trained with her at Aspire Gymnastics Academy, shared her grief. “Absolutely heartbreaking to get a call like this. Kara, you deserved so much more. I wish I could see, laugh, and hug you one more time.”
Aspire Gymnastics Academy posted several photos of Kara along with a tribute on their Facebook page.
“As Kara grew, so did Aspire. She was a steady presence in a sport full of ups and downs. She was full of life and personality,” the center wrote. “Her facial expressions spoke volumes. Aspire lost a part of its heart today. Kara, we love you.”
Corey King, the chancellor at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (UWW), released a statement on August 31, calling Kara Welsh “a standout member of the Warhawk gymnastics team.” He added that “news of Kara’s death is heartbreaking for our close-knit university community.”
A friend on Facebook also expressed sorrow, sharing a tribute posted by Aspire Gymnastics Academy. “I hate that evil touched this sweet girl’s life,” they wrote. Referring to Kara’s sister Kaeli, they added, “The Welsh sisters showed us what it means to be gym sisters, but so much more. Kara was all heart. This loss is unimaginable.”
‘I beat myself up’
The police have not yet released the suspect’s name, as he has not been officially charged.
However, friends revealed that Kara was dating the man, identified as Chad Richards, and he was helping her move into her apartment.
Brayten Wilkerson, a friend of both Kara Welsh and the suspect, expressed his sorrow, saying, “Sometimes I beat myself up, thinking if I had seen them that day, maybe… just one more joke, one more memory, could have changed things.” Wilkerson, a member of the UWW wrestling team, told ABC’s WISN, “Kara was a sweetheart. She was one of the best people you could meet. Her family raised her to be a wonderful woman.”
A GoFundMe organizer shared that loved ones are “deeply saddened” by Kara’s death. They said, “Kara had a special ability to bring joy to everyone she met, always making people smile with her sense of humor, support, and kind personality.”
“Kara, 21, was looking forward to her senior year as a gymnast at UW-Whitewater, but her life was tragically cut short on August 30 by a senseless act of violence.”
The Whitewater Police Department stated that charges for first-degree intentional homicide, endangering safety with a dangerous weapon, and disorderly conduct while armed are being sent to the Walworth County District Attorney’s Office.
TV Star with Māori Face Tattoo Shuts Down Haters in Epic Response!
A TV presenter with a traditional Māori face tattoo has calmly replied to negative comments from a viewer, proudly standing up for her cultural heritage and identity.
Facial tattoos often spark debates online. Some people think tattoos should only be on the body, while others understand and appreciate their cultural importance.
Oriini Kaipara, 41, made history when she became a newsreader for New Zealand’s Newshub. She is the first primetime TV news presenter to wear a moko kauae, a special facial tattoo for Māori women.
The Māori are the indigenous people of mainland New Zealand. They see moko kauae as important symbols of their heritage and identity. These tattoos, traditionally on the lips and chin, show a woman’s family ties, leadership, and honor her lineage, status, and abilities.
Oriini Kaipara. Credit: Oriini Kaipara / Instagram.
Despite receiving praise, one viewer named David expressed his dislike for Kaipara’s moko kauae in an email to Newshub.
He wrote, “We continue to object strongly to you using a Māori newsreader with a moku [moko] which is offensive and aggressive looking. A bad look. She also bursts into the Māori language which we do not understand. Stop it now,” according to the Daily Mail.
But Kaipara didn’t let David’s negative words stop her. She bravely shared screenshots of his messages on her Instagram story and responded calmly.
“Today I had enough. I responded. I never do that. I broke my own code and hit the send button,” she wrote on her Instagram story alongside a screenshot of David’s message.
Kaipara didn’t just share screenshots of David’s email, she also responded to him. She explained that his complaint wasn’t valid because she hadn’t broken any rules for TV.
She also corrected David’s spelling mistake. He called her tattoo a “moku” instead of “moko”.
In her email back to him, Kaipara said, “I think you don’t like how I look on TV. But tattoos and people with them aren’t scary or bad. We don’t deserve to be treated badly because of them.”
She asked him to stop complaining and to try to understand better. She even joked that maybe he should go back to the 1800s if he couldn’t accept people with tattoos.
Despite David’s negative words, Kaipara says she mostly gets nice comments, and mean ones are rare.
In an interview with the New Zealand Herald, Kaipara talked about how it’s important to have more Māori people in important jobs. She said, “The fact that my existence makes some people upset shows why we need more Māori people in every job.”
Kaipara’s calm response reminds us how important it is to be proud of who you are, even when people are mean. She’s inspiring others to be proud of themselves and stand up to unfair treatment.
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