A high school cheerleader is in critical condition after she and a teammate were shot early Tuesday morning after an altercation with a man in a grocery store parking lot in Texas, police say.
Payton Washington, an 18-year-old all-star cheerleader, was airlifted to a hospital following the shooting. She was one of four cheerleaders gathered in the carpool meeting spot on Monday following practice with the Woodlands Elite Cheer competitive program that they participate in.
Another cheerleader injured in the shooting, Heather Roth, told media that, thinking she was entering her own vehicle after hopping out of her friend's, she mistakenly opened the door to a different person's car and got in, The Daily Beast reports.
When Roth saw a man in the passenger's seat, she got out and jumped back into the friend's vehicle.
The man exited his vehicle, approached their car, and as Roth began to apologize through the open window, the man "threw up his hands, pulled out a gun, and started shooting — he fired multiple shots at the group," she said.
Roth was grazed in the leg by a bullet and treated at the scene, while Washington was shot twice and badly injured.
"Payton opens the door, and she starts throwing up blood," Roth said of the girl's condition immediately following the shooting to ABC13.
Washington, though stable, remains in the intensive care unit, according to a GoFundMe set up Tuesday by Woodlands Elite Generals to cover her medical expenses.
The suspect, identified by Elgin, Texas police as 25-year-old Pedro Tello Rodriguez Jr., was arrested and charged with a third-degree felony and deadly conduct. As the investigation continues, additional charges could be filed, police say.
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"It's a very sad day for us," Woodlands Elite owner Lynne Shearer told KTBC. "Everybody knows [Washington], and everybody is praying for her. We're doing the same."
Washington, who was also born with just one lung, is renowned for her achievements in the sport, winning "every title there is to win in All-Star cheerleader except for a world title," Shearer said.
"She's really a huge face in the all-star cheerleading world," she said. "She's a mentor and role model to so many kids in this industry. She's an amazing athlete, amazing kid."
Washington is set to attend Baylor University later this year on an athletic scholarship, joining the university's acrobatics and tumbling team.
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