Man accused of killing Alabama cheerleader, spraying bullets at friends, released on bond
A man accused of shooting an Alabama high school teacher at a fireworks party and shooting three others while one victim tried to protect him has been released from jail on bond.
Steven Tyler Whitehead, charged with murder in the death of Kimber Mills, 18, and attempted murder in the injuries to three others, was booked into the Jefferson County Jail on Thursday after a judge set bond at $330,000. As a condition of his release, Whitehead must wear an electronic monitoring device, WBRC reported.
Mills, a former Cleveland High School student, was shot in October 2025 during an overnight fire in a wooded area known as “The Pit,” near Highway 75 North and Clay-Palmerdale Road in Pinson, Alabama.
Authorities said the gathering turned violent after Whitehead arrived shortly after midnight and got into a verbal and physical altercation before pulling out a gun and opening fire.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office previously said Whitehead fired multiple shots during the disturbance, hitting Mills and three others.
One of the victims, Silas McCay, 21, later told WBRC that he was shot 10 times – in the leg, waist, ribs, abdomen, finger, hip and thigh – as he tried to protect his friends, including Mills.
“I consider her like a little sister to me,” McCay said from her hospital bed. I tried everything I could. I wish there was more I could have done.”
McCay said the violence began after he and another man confronted Whitehead, who he said was trying to talk to Mills before the fight broke out.
“My ex-girlfriend came up to me at a party and said she was trying to make things with this girl named Kimber,” said McCay. “We found my buddy and we started fighting with him, I caught him and put him on my shoulder and put him on the ground, my buddy pulled me away from him, and that’s when he took out his gun and started shooting.”
According to WBRC, McCay and another man, Hunter McCullouch, 19, were later charged with third-degree assault in connection with an argument that occurred before the shooting. Authorities have not said whether the man fired the weapon. McCay was one of those shot during the shooting.
Mills was taken to UAB Hospital in Birmingham after being shot in the head and leg, according to Trussville Police Chief Eric Rush. Despite the efforts of the doctors, his injuries worsened.
Her sister, Ashley Mills, announced Kimber’s death in a Facebook post following an emotional tribute to the hospital that drew hundreds.
Ashley Mills wrote: “He had the biggest walk of honor a doctor has ever seen. He was loved and is loved by many. We will miss you, Kimber.”
Ashley Mills previously said the family made the difficult decision to put Kimber on life support because of her brain damage and to honor her wish to donate her organs.
“He suffered a lot of brain damage,” said Ashley Mills. “We don’t want to hurt him anymore by trying to bring him back.”
Friends and loved ones remembered Mills as a bright, smiling person. She was a cheerleader and track athlete at Cleveland High School and planned to attend the University of Alabama in 2026, where she hoped to become a nurse.
“He had a bit of luck in his step,” said his sister.
Although he was also seriously injured, McCay said he visited Mills in the hospital before his death.
“He was telling me that he loves me by squeezing my hand,” he said.
After the news of Whitehead’s release on bond, Ashley Mills shared her reaction on Facebook, expressing fear and frustration.
“Justice for Kimber! That’s all we want,” he wrote. “That worries me a lot knowing you’re out. I’ll stay home.”
The Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office declined to elaborate on the bond decision, telling Fox News Digital it had no additional information to share.
