A heartbreaking video has gone viral showing 18-year-old cheerleader Kimber Mills being wheeled through the halls of the University of Alabama Hospital for her final “honor walk” before becoming an organ donor. Kimber, a senior at Cleveland High School in Alabama, was one of four victims in a shooting at a party near Palmerdale on October 18. Known for her school spirit and dreams of becoming a nurse, she was taken off life support on Tuesday after suffering fatal injuries.
According to authorities, 27-year-old Steven Tyler Whitehead arrived at the gathering, got into a fight, and opened fire. He’s been charged with three counts of attempted murder and is held on a $180,000 bond. Kimber’s sister, Ashley Mills, said her sibling was “caught in the crossfire” after Whitehead harassed one of her friends.
Despite her family’s devastation, they honored Kimber’s wish to donate her organs. “She had too much trauma to her brain,” Ashley said. “We didn’t want her to suffer anymore. Organ donation was what she wanted.”
During her final walk, students and community members lined the hospital hallway in tears. Her heart was donated to a seven-year-old boy in Ohio, and her lungs to a woman in New York. “She was really loved by the whole community,” said a friend.
Rest in peace, Kimber Mills.