A shooting incident involving four high school cheerleaders in Texas. The girls had finished a practice session and were carpooling back to their meeting spot when they mistakenly entered the wrong car, which was occupied by a gunman. One of the girls thought she was getting into her car, but instead, she entered the wrong car occupied by the gunman, who was sitting in the passenger seat.
According to reports, an altercation occurred, and multiple shots were fired into the car, hitting two of the girls. One of the girls, Payton Washington, was critically injured and was airlifted to the hospital. The other victim was treated and released at the scene.
The alleged gunman, Pedro Tello Rodriguez Jr., was arrested and charged with deadly conduct, a third-degree felony. The police believe that the two incidents reported, shots fired in the parking lot and the shooting of the cheerleaders, were related.
The girls were part of the Woodlands Elite Cheer Company and had finished a practice session in preparation for an upcoming competition. They parked their cars in an H-E-B parking lot in Elgin, Bastrop County, to carpool to practice in the Woodlands. The incident occurred when they returned to the parking lot at around 12:15 a.m.
Heather Roth, one of the girls involved in the incident, described the shooter pulling out a gun and firing at them as they tried to speed off. She was grazed by a bullet, while her teammate, Payton Washington, was shot in the leg and back. According to Lynne Shearer, the owner of Woodlands Elite Cheer, Payton is a determined athlete who has already surpassed many challenges in her life and will recover from her injuries.
The incident is still under investigation, and details are starting to emerge as those close to it share on social media and with local news outlets. The surveillance footage of the incident has not yet been released.
