Emotional ‘honour walk’ for 18-year-old cheerleader who became an organ donor after shooting

Emotion was sparked in the United States by the silent “honor walk” formed by hundreds of people at an Alabama hospital to say goodbye to 18-year-old cheerleader Kimber Mills, who was pronounced brain dead after a shooting.

Her family decided to proceed with organ donation, giving life to other patients. The 18-year-old’s heart was transplanted into a seven-year-old boy in Ohio, while her lungs were given to a woman in New York, according to a statement from her sister, Ashley Mills.

Kimber was one of four victims shot near a highway last Saturday. She had been severely injured in the head and leg, and doctors informed the family that she would not survive.

Honor Walk for Kimber Mills pic.twitter.com/pMr9rzeUv5

— ABC 33/40 News (@abc3340) October 22, 2025

In the video that circulated, community members, friends, and hospital workers stood silently in the hallways, escorting the young woman’s gurney to the operating room for the organ removal procedure.

The Arrested Suspect

The 27-year-old Steven Tyler Whitehead was arrested for the incident and is charged with three counts of attempted murder.

According to the police, the shootings occurred at a private location known as “the pitt,” where teenagers gather to listen to music and meet.