An Alabama high school cheerleader will have her Honor Walk today as she undergoes surgery to donate her organs.
Kimber Mills, 18, was shot in the head early Sunday during a party in a wooded area known as The Pit in eastern Jefferson County.
Three other people were injured, and a 27-year-old suspect has been charged with attempted murder. That charge is expected to be upgraded to murder.
Kimber’s sister, Ashley Mills, said the Honor Walk will take place at 4 p.m. with a 5 p.m. surgery to follow.
“She is giving the greatest gift of all today – life,” Kimber’s cousin, Morgan Metz posted on Facebook. “She was a blessing and now she gets to bless others.”
An Honor Walk is when a patient is moved from the hospital to the organ center – about two blocks away – on an interior pathway between the two.
Family, friends, and medical staff typically line the hospital hallways to honor the organ decision and process.
Ashley previously told AL.com that it was Kimber’s wish to be an organ donor. She said her sister’s injuries were not survivable.
“There is no surgery that would give her a life worth living,” Ashley said.
A GoFundMe to help with Kimber’s burial has already raised nearly $12,000. Prayer vigils for the teen were held Monday night at the Cleveland High School football field, and Monday morning at the school’s flagpole.
Kimber Mills, an 18-year-old Alabama high school senior, was shot in the head during an Oct. 18, 2025, shooting at a party in a Jefferson County wooded area known as The Pit.(GoFundMe)
Kimber was a senior cheerleader at Cleveland High School in Blount County, where she also ran track.
She was planning to attend the University of Alabama next year with a dream of becoming a nurse.
“She was also helping someone,” Ashley said.
Ashley described her sister as friendly and sweet, and a bit fiery at times.
“She had a little spunk to her step,” she said.
The shooting happened early Sunday near Alabama 75 and Clay-Palmerdale Road.
Kimber was with friends and another sister at the Saturday night party.
Ashley said the suspect – Steven Tyler Whitehead – showed up at the party, but Kimber and her friends did not know him.
Whitehead, she said, began trying to talk to one of Kimber’s friends, offering her drinks and trying to get close to her.
The girl told her boyfriend, a fight involving multiple people ensued, and shots were fired.
“Kimber was caught in the crossfire,” Ashley said.
One of Kimber’s friends picked her up and put her in his truck to rush her to the hospital.
Once they got to Gadsden Highway, they saw a Trussville police officer and stopped for help.
Trussville Police Chief Eric Rush said officers provided aid to Kimber, who was shot in the head and the leg. Trussville firefighters then rushed her to UAB Hospital.
Jefferson County sheriff’s spokesman Henry Irby said deputies were dispatched to the remote scene at 12:24 a.m.
They arrived to find three people wounded – two males ages 21 and 18 and an 18-year-old female.
Palmerdale Fire and Rescue and Center Point Fire and Rescue responded to the scene and transported the victims to hospitals.
Deputies learned that a fourth victim, a 20-year-old female, had been transported to a hospital by a personal vehicle.
Donations to the GoFundMe can be made here.
The criminal investigation is ongoing and anyone with information is asked to call detectives at 205-325-1450 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.
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