A man has been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of 21-year-old University of Wisconsin-Whitewater gymnast Kara Welsh in an off-campus apartment, authorities said.

Welsh, who won a national individual vault title for the gymnastics team last year, was shot multiple times Friday by a 23-year-old man in an apartment about a block from the university’s main campus, police said.

Police did not release the suspect’s name, but assumed they knew him.

The nature of their relationship was unclear.

Police said officers arrived shortly before midnight Friday and found Welsh dead with multiple gunshot wounds.

“Also present in the apartment was a 23-year-old man who knew the deceased woman,” the statement said.

“Investigations revealed that there had been an argument between the two prior to the shooting.”

The man was arrested and charged with first-degree intentional murder, endangering safety by use of a dangerous weapon and disorderly conduct while armed, police said in another statement.

The investigation is still ongoing, they added.

Welsh was in her senior year at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where she majored in management while also being a member of the school’s Warhawk gymnastics team.

University Chancellor Corey King announced Welsh’s death in a message to students and faculty on Saturday.

“Kara Welsh, age 21, of Plainfield, Illinois, died in an off-campus shooting on Friday, August 30, 2024,” he wrote.

“Kara studied management in our School of Business and Economics and was a standout member of the Warhawk gymnastics team that won an individual national title on vault in 2023.

“We know the news of Kara’s death is heartbreaking for our close-knit university community.

“It is a time when we are all called upon to support one another, to process the events and to mourn.”

He added that counseling services would be made available to UW-Whitewater students, faculty and staff and that the university’s flag would fly at half-mast on Sept. 3, when the fall semester begins, in memory of Welsh.

A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help her parents Nancy and Tom Welsh and her sister Kaeli.

“Kara was a daughter, sister, dear friend and teammate who grew up in Plainfield, Illinois,” it said.

“Kara had a unique ability to bring joy to everyone she met, always putting a smile on people’s faces with her sense of humor, unwavering support and kind nature.

“Kara, 21, was looking forward to her senior year as a gymnast at UW-Whitewater, which was abruptly ended by a heartless act of violence on August 30. We are deeply heartbroken for our beloved Welsh family – Nancy, Tom and Kaeli, who are having to endure this incredibly difficult time.”