Gunfire erupted at a bonfire gathering in a wooded area off Highway 75 in Pinson, Alabama, early Sunday morning, October 19, 2025, critically wounding a high school senior, Kimber Mills, after she attempted to stand up for another female student.
Mills, 18, was struck in the head and leg and remains on life support; doctors say she will not survive her injuries. According to local authorities, Steven Tyler Whitehead, 27, crashed the party and is now facing charges of murder in connection with the shooting.
What happened to Kimber Mills?
The shooting happened just before 12:30 a.m. early Sunday, when verbal and physical altercations broke out among attendees. Investigators say Whitehead — who didn’t know Mills — began harassing another female student. A friend of Mills, Silas McCay, told the Birmingham news outlet WBRC that he saw Whitehead “trying to do stuff” to Mills and intervened.
“I grabbed him and put him on the ground,” McCay said. “That’s when he pulled his gun and started shooting.” McCay, 21, sustained ten gunshot wounds. Two other young victims — an 18-year-old male and a woman aged about 20 — were also injured and hospitalized.
Police arrested Whitehead at the scene, and he is being held without bond at the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office jail. He faces a murder charge, even though, as of this report, Mills is still on life support. Investigators say additional charges may be coming.
Mills wanted to become a nurse
The Alabama community is uniting after Kimber Mills, an 18-year-old senior cheerleader at Cleveland High School, was critically injured during a shooting at a weekend bonfire in Jefferson County, Alabama.
— The Youth Peace & Justice Foundation (@911healthmental) October 21, 2025
In response and to honor the beloved teen, who is currently listed as… pic.twitter.com/hLv21drYpK
In the wake of the tragedy, the students and residents of Cleveland High School and the area rallied. Hundreds gathered for a vigil and prayer service at the high school stadium, many wearing pink, Mills’ favorite color.
Mills was a senior cheerleader and track athlete with aspirations of becoming a nurse. Family members describe her as bubbly, full of energy, and someone who made every day brighter for those around her. After hearing the prognosis that no surgery could save her, her family elected to allow her to become an organ donor.
