A 27-year-old Alabama man has been arrested and charged with murder after a high school cheerleader and three others were shot during a late-night bonfire party in a rural area known as “The Pit.”
According to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Steven Tyler Whitehead is accused of shooting 18-year-old Kimber Mills and three other young adults early Sunday morning. Deputies were called to the 7900 block of State Highway 75 North in Pinson, just outside Birmingham, shortly after midnight.
When officers arrived, they found Mills and two men, ages 18 and 21, suffering from gunshot wounds. A 20-year-old woman who was also shot had already been taken to the hospital by a friend.
Authorities told AL.com that the shooting began after a fight broke out over a girl. Mills remains in critical condition, and her family has shared that doctors expect she will be declared dead in the coming days.
“She has too much trauma to her brain,” her sister told the outlet, adding that if Kimber were to survive, she would be dependent on breathing and feeding tubes for the rest of her life. “There is no surgery that would give her a life worth living,” she said.
Mills is a senior cheerleader at Cleveland High School, where classmates have held prayer vigils for her. Friends describe her as kind, upbeat, and always willing to help others.
“You can just start up a conversation with her, no matter what. It was always just a delight to talk to her,” classmate Cohen Dawson told WVTM.
Friend Kyle Torbert added, “She’s the type of person who, if you run out of money and don’t have enough, she’ll give you hers. If you need something, she’ll share it. If you’re sad, she’ll give you the love you need. If you need a hug, she’ll give you a hug.”
The senior class has launched a GoFundMe to support Kimber and her family.
Whitehead is being held at the Jefferson County Jail without bond. Authorities have not released further details, but they say additional charges may be filed as the investigation continues.
A fight over a girl….
Stupid idiots
Stupid, stupid idiots