Hundreds of students line up to say goodbye to cheerleader on life-support after being shot at party
A tear-jerking video shows the moment a teenage girl was taken into surgery for organ donation
On Sunday (October 19), 18-year-old Kimber Mills was shot in the head and leg when caught in a crossfire after a fight broke out at a bonfire she was attending in a wooded area of Pinson, Alabama.
Following the incident, 27-year-old Steven Tyler Whitehead was arrested, Jefferson County Sheriff's Office confirmed.
According to those who were at the bonfire, nobody knew who Whitehead was. He arrived at around 12.24am on Sunday, Fox News reports.
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Three others were injured in the shooting and Whitehead was charged with three counts of attempted murder.
He has also now been charged with murder, as tragically Mills succumbed to her injuries on Tuesday (21 October) when she was taken off life support.
On the day of her death an honor walk was held for the budding cheerleader. Hundreds of students from from Mills' school lined the hallway of the hospital as she was wheeled into the operating theater to donate her organs.
According to her sister Ashley Mills, the 18-year-old had shared that she wanted to be an organ donor.
She told the Daily Mail, Kimber's heart was donated to seven-year-old boy and her lungs to a woman in New York.
After graduating high school, Mills was going to to go university to become a nurse.
Marilu Valdez, a classmate of Mills', attended the honor walk and said it was heartbreaking.
"It was really sad. It broke my heart to know someone as bright as her, beautiful smile, beautiful spirit could have gone through that," she told ABC News.
"Love like Kimber, and to take those moments you have with your loved ones and your friends and make the most of them. You never know what might happen," Valdez added.
Blount County Schools shared a moving tribute to Facebook in the wake of Mills' passing.
"Our school district is deeply saddened today to learn of the passing of one of our students, Ms. Kimber Mills," it said.
"Kimber was a bright, outgoing senior cheerleader for Cleveland High School. Kimber’s smile and infectious personality will certainly be missed, but she will always be remembered.
"Our heart is burdened for her family and for the impact this will have on the students, faculty, and staff at Cleveland High School."
A GoFundMe page has been created for Mills' family where, at the time of writing, almost $28,000 has been raised. You can donate here.
If you or someone you know has been affected by gun violence, please find more information and support via Survivors Empowered on their website.
Niamh Shackleton