By Kim McDarison

A University of Wisconsin-Whitewater student has been named as the suspect in a shooting over the Labor Day weekend which took the life of Kara Welsh, 21, also a UW-Whitewater student.

Chad Richards, 23, police confirmed Tuesday, was taken into custody by members of the Whitewater Police Department and has been confined in the Walworth County Jail.

Information about Richards was first made public early Tuesday morning on the Jefferson County Scanner Facebook site, which published Walworth County Jail intake information. The scanner page read: “Murder suspect identified in Whitewater shooting incident.”

Information also has been made public by BENTFilm Festival, an online offering which, according to its website, provides “breaking news, insightful commentary, behind-the-scenes glimpses into the fascinating world of cinema, and exclusive interviews.” Information released Tuesday on the site is here: https://bentfilmfest.org/kara-welshs-alleged-boyfriend-chad-richards-helped-her-move-into-an-apartment/?fbclid=IwY2xjawFD-VtleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHY4l7YBgrd81_2lzhyK5nAwm_gTsD78Ez6nNQ-aDtkppxvSgGaxYmJWLSA_aem_6HEUHpni7mYQk5c5FBSKHQ.

On Saturday, in an updated news release, the department stated that the following charges have been recommended to the Walworth County District Attorney’s Office against a then-unnamed suspect: First Degree Intentional Homicide, Endangering Safety by the Use of a Dangerous Weapon, and Disorderly Conduct While Armed.

Information released by Whitewater Police Chief Dan Meyer Tuesday noted that Richards will appear in court Tuesday.  

According to the UW-Whitewater directory, Richards is a communications major in his senior year. He is a resident of Loves Park, Ill.

While the police have reported that the two individuals — Richards and Welsh — were known to one-another, the relationship between the two has not been made clear.

Welsh is listed on the UW-Whitewater directory as a junior who was studying management.

Welsh was pronounced dead, after sustaining multiple gunshot wounds, at the scene of the shooting in a downtown Whitewater apartment. Police discovered the decedent after responding to a call made to the department’s dispatch center late Friday night, according to information shared Saturday by police.

Earlier stories about the incident are here: https://whitewaterwise.com/police-identify-illinois-resident-as-victim-in-fridays-shooting/, and here:  https://whitewaterwise.com/whitewater-police-21-year-old-woman-dies-from-multiple-gunshot-wounds/.

This story may be updated.