Tragedy in The Pit: How a Bonfire Party Turned Deadly
A 28-year-old National Guardsman has been formally indicted for the murder of an 18-year-old cheerleader after opening fire at a late-night gathering in the Alabama woods, court documents reveal.
Steven Tyler Whitehead now faces charges for the killing of Kimber Mills and the attempted murder of three additional victims who survived the October 18 ambush at a remote clearing known locally as 'The Pit'.
Chaos Erupts at Woodland Gathering
The violent incident unfolded shortly before 1am on Sunday, October 18, at a patch of private property in the Jefferson County woods near Highway 75 - a popular spot where teens and young adults regularly gathered for bonfires, music and drinking.
Investigators confirmed approximately 40 to 50 people, mostly aged between 18 and 22, were present when chaos erupted just after midnight. Court testimony revealed surveillance footage shows Whitehead placing his hand on a young woman's hip, sparking confrontation when she pushed him away.
According to a detective's sworn testimony, the video shows Whitehead being repeatedly punched and shoved to the ground as several young men piled on top of him. Moments later, the detective stated, Whitehead pulled out a gun and fired 13 shots into the crowd.
Victims and Aftermath
Kimber Mills, an 18-year-old cheerleader from Cleveland, Alabama described by friends and family as "full of energy", was struck in the head and leg. She succumbed to her injuries three days later on October 21 after doctors informed her family the wounds were too catastrophic to survive.
The other shooting victims included Silas McCay, shot ten times, Levi Sanders, 18, and Raelen Norris, 20, who were rushed to hospital in a private vehicle. A juvenile was also grazed by gunfire.
In a heartbreaking decision, Kimber's family chose to donate her organs after three days on life support. Dozens of people lined the corridors of UAB Hospital for her honour walk, with staff and strangers standing shoulder to shoulder as her bed was wheeled through the hospital.
Her sister Ashley Mills later revealed Kimber's heart was donated to a seven-year-old boy in Ohio while her lungs went to a woman in New York.
Legal Proceedings and Defence
Whitehead remains incarcerated at Jefferson County Jail on bonds totalling $330,000. Although granted bond in Mills' murder case last month, he remains jailed on stacked attempted-murder charges.
Defence attorneys have argued their client was under attack when he opened fire after being pinned to the ground and surrounded by multiple people. Video evidence shown in court confirms Whitehead was struck and held down moments before the shooting erupted.
Two wounded survivors, Hunter McCulloch and Silas McCay, both 20, face their own criminal charges for third-degree misdemeanor assault, accused of attacking Whitehead before the shooting. Both men are out on bond with scheduled court appearances.
The indictments covering all four shooting victims were confirmed in court filings this week by Jefferson County Deputy District Attorney Meaghan Willis, though the charging documents haven't yet been publicly released.
A GoFundMe page initially created to help Kimber's family with medical expenses has been repurposed to assist all of the shooting victims as the community continues to grapple with the tragedy that claimed a young woman who dreamed of becoming a nurse.
