An 18-year-old cheerleader from Alabama, Kimber Mills, who had aspirations of becoming a nurse, tragically lost her life after being shot in the head when a gunman opened fire during a bonfire gathering. The incident, which took place early Sunday, also injured three others. Authorities report that 27-year-old Tyler Whitehead allegedly targeted a group of friends at a local hangout in Pinson known as “The Pit.”
Mills, who suffered not only a severe brain injury but also a gunshot wound to her leg, had been placed on a ventilator at UAB Hospital in Birmingham since the shooting. Her family revealed that her brain damage was too extensive for any surgical intervention.
“There’s so much trauma in her brain,” shared Ashley, Mills’ sister. “She’s breathing on her own with a support ventilator. We realized there’s no surgical option that would offer a quality life, so we decided to let her body take its course.”
As Mills prepared for her final moments, she was to be honored with a procession for organ donation on Tuesday afternoon, surrounded by family. Ashley mentioned that it was Kimber’s wish to be an organ donor.
“She’s giving the greatest gift today, which is life,” expressed Mills’ cousin, Morgan Kay Metz. “She has always been a blessing and will now continue to be one for others.”
Along with Kimber, three other individuals were injured when Whitehead, following an altercation, began firing around 12:24 a.m. One witness recounted how he had intervened in a confrontation with the shooter, only to be met with gunfire shortly after. “I wish I could have done more,” he reflected, noting his concern for Kimber.
Ashley remarked that her sister was just “caught in the crossfire,” as family anxiously awaited updates on her condition. Unfortunately, when Kimber reached the hospital, doctors informed her relatives that she had little time left.
Whitehead now faces multiple charges, including three counts of attempted murder, and is being held in Jefferson County Jail on a $180,000 bond.
A GoFundMe has been created to support Mills’ family and another victim of the shooting.
