Bullet in the Night: Alabama Cheerleader’s Heartbreaking Final Act After Bonfire Bloodshed

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One selfless act at a bonfire party stole her future—now, her final gift breaks hearts everywhere. 💔

The bubbly cheerleader everyone loved stepped up for a friend in need, only to face a bullet that shattered dreams of college and nursing scrubs. As machines hum in a Birmingham ICU, her family faces an unimaginable goodbye… but her legacy? It’s saving lives.

Discover the full story of courage and loss ➡️

A “bubbly” Alabama cheerleader who dreamed of becoming a nurse was shot in the head when a maniac opened fire at a bonfire – and now the beloved teen will be taken off life support, with her organs donated.

Kimber Mills, 18, a senior at Cleveland High School, was among four people shot early Sunday when 27-year-old Tyler Whitehead allegedly stormed a local wooded hangout in Pinson known as “The Pit,” and harassed the group of friends before launching his senseless attack, according to multiple reports.

The promising teen, who was also shot in the leg, has since been clinging to life on a ventilator at UAB Hospital in Birmingham.

Kimber Mills in a white cheerleading uniform with "Panther" written on it.
Kimber Mills, 18, will be taken off life support Tuesday afternoon, with her organs donated to those in need.GoFundMe

Her devastated family has said her brain injuries are too severe for surgery.

“She has too much trauma to her brain,” her heartbroken sister, Ashley, told AL.com reported.

“She is breathing on her own with an assisted breathing machine. There is no surgery that would give her a life worth living. We’ve opted to just let her body do what it needs to do.”

Mills, who planned to attend the University of Alabama, will be surrounded by loved ones Tuesday as she’s wheeled into surgery to donate her heart and lungs during an Honor Walk at 4 p.m., her sister said.

Kimber Mills wearing a "Cleveland Panthers" t-shirt and custom jeans that say "SENIOR C/O 2023" inside a school gym.
Mills was shot in the head and leg when a maniac opened fire at a friendly gathering at a local spot called “The Pit.”Courtesy Mills Family

Ashley said it was her sister’s wish to be an organ donor, the outlet reported.

“She is giving the greatest gift of all today. Life,” Mills’ cousin, Morgan Kaye Metz, posted on Facebook.

“She was a blessing and now she gets to bless others. We love and thank you all.”

Three other people also sustained gunshot wounds when Whitehead — a stranger — allegedly showed up at the party around 12:24 a.m. and started shooting after a verbal spat, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said.

Mugshot of Steven Tyler Whitehead.
Steven Tyler Whitehead, 27, is locked up and charged with murder.Jefferson County Sheriffâs Office

“My ex-girlfriend came up to me at the party and said [Whitehead] was trying to do stuff to this girl named Kimber,” Silas McCay, a 21-year-old who was allegedly blasted 10 times by the Brookwood gunman, told WRBC.

“My buddy and I found him, and we started fighting him. I grabbed him and put him over my shoulder and had him on the ground. My buddy pulled me off him, and that’s when he pulled his gun out and started shooting. I look at her like a little sister. I tired everything I could. I wish there was more I could’ve done.”

Ashley said her sister was simply “caught in the crossfire,” according to AL.com.

Kimber Mills wearing a blue sequined dress and holding a bouquet.
A Honor Walk will be held at UAB Hospital in Birmingham at 4 p.m. Tuesday, her family said.Courtesy Mills Family

Mills was then rushed to the hospital, where doctors told her family she only had days to live.

Whitehead was charged with three counts of attempted murder and is being held on a $180,000 bond at Jefferson County Jail, police said.

“She was just very bubbly,” Ashley said of her sister, WVTM13 reported.

“She loved everyone. She could make friends anywhere she went, but she also had that little fiery side where she could get you. I guess I would just say that she had a spunk in her step. She just loved everything. She was just the sweetest.”

A GoFundMe was launched to help Mills’ family and the other victim’s hurt in the shooting.