Left: Steven Tyler Whitehead (Jefferson County Sheriff”s Office). Right: Kimber Mills (GoFundMe).
A 27-year-old Alabama man stands accused of murder in the shooting of a high school cheerleader and three others during a party at a bonfire in a rural area known as “The Pit.”
Steven Tyler Whitehead is behind bars in the shooting of 18-year-old Kimber Mills early Sunday. The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release that its deputies responded shortly after midnight for a shooting in the 7900 block of State Highway 75 North in Pinson, which is outside of Birmingham. When they arrived they found Mills suffering from a gunshot wound, along with two men ages 18 and 21. Deputies later learned that a 20-year-old woman also was shot and was taken to the hospital by a friend.
Cops told AL.com that a fight started over a girl and shots were fired. Mills is still alive, but her family expects that she will be declared dead in the coming days, per the newspaper.
“She has too much trauma to her brain,” her sister told the outlet.
If she survives, she would be on breathing and feeding tubes the rest of her life.
“There is no surgery that would give her a life worth living,” her sister said.
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Mills was a senior cheerleader at Cleveland High School. Her classmates have had several prayer vigils on her behalf.
Classmate Cohen Dawson told local NBC affiliate WVTM that Mills was known for her positive attitude.
“You can just start up a conversation with her, no matter what. It was always just a delight to talk to her,” he told the TV station.
She also would help out fellow students in need.
“She’s the type of person to, if you run out of money and you don’t have enough, she’ll definitely give you money,” her friend Kyle Torbert told WVTM. “If you don’t have something, she’ll give you something. She’s just the type of person to — if you’re sad, she’ll give you the love that you need. If you need a hug, she’ll give you a hug.”
The senior class at the school started a GoFundMe to raise money for her and her family.
Cops have not released more details about the incident but said additional charges are pending. Whitehead is at the Jefferson County Jail without bond.
