- A man shot and wounded two cheerleaders named Payton and Roth in a Texas supermarket car park after one of them said she mistakenly got into his car thinking it was her own – the latest in a string of recent US shootings apparently sparked by someone showing up at the wrong place.
- A “role model” cheerleader born with only one lung has had part of her spleen removed after being shot in another apparent case of somebody being shot for being in the wrong place in the US.
What happened to ‘Role model’ cheerleader Payton and Roth?
‘Role model’ cheerleader Payton and Roth was shot after mistakenly got in to wrong car. According to team owner Lynne Shearer, the Elgin, Texas, shooting took place early on Tuesday (US time) in a parking lot where members of the Woodlands Elite Cheer Company pick up their carpools.
One of the four team members in the parking lot after practice, Heather Roth, claimed she stepped out of a friend’s car and into a vehicle she believed belonged to her, but there was a stranger in the passenger seat, according to reports.
She claimed that when she saw the man approaching, she reportedly frightened and jumped back inside her friend’s car. She claimed that while she was attempting to apologize through the window of her friend’s car, the man threw up his hands, pulled out a revolver, and started shooting.
Roth was grazed by a bullet and was treated at the scene, police said. Her teammate Payton Washington, 18, was shot in the leg and back. “Payton opens the door, and she starts throwing up blood,” Roth said.
Washington was flown to a hospital in critical condition. Doctors had to remove part of Washington’s spleen, as per the reports.
Who is Pedro Tello Rodriguez?
After the Incident, a witness to the shooting said the shooter fled the scene after the attack, police said.
Police arrested a suspect, 25-year-old Pedro Tello Rodriguez jnr, who was charged with engaging in deadly conduct, a third-degree felony. Online court records do not list a lawyer for him.
Elgin police said in a statement: “Information suggests that an altercation occurred in the parking lot, and multiple shots were fired into a vehicle.”
Cheer Leader Born With One Lung
Shearer said Washington, a high school senior from Round Rock, north of Austin, is one of her team’s stars and was born with only one lung.
Washington has committed to competing for Baylor University’s acrobatics and tumbling team next year, and she and her Woodlands teammates were set to compete at The Cheerleading Worlds in Orlando, Florida, this weekend. Shearer said the team will now be “competing for her”.
Washington has committed to competing for Baylor University’s acrobatics and tumbling team next year, and she and her Woodlands teammates were set to compete at The Cheerleading Worlds in Orlando, Florida, this weekend. Shearer said the team will now be “competing for her”.
Rodriguez from previous encounters
Detectives looked at surveillance video of the parking lot, which showed Rodriguez’s license plate. Elgin police noted in the probable cause document that they are familiar with Rodriguez from previous encounters. The Woodlands Elite Cheer Co., a recreational cheerleading group, shared a Facebook post on Tuesday, saying that “4 of our girls were involved in a horrific incident on their way home after a practice last night.”
Washington had already made the acro and tumbling team at Baylor University for next year. Head coach Felecia Mulkey visited her at Dell Seton. Payton is a fighter, she’s very strong,” she said. “Payton looks great, all things considered. She is making good progress, even in a short period of time. She seemed to be doing well, but there’s still a long way to go.”
Go Fund Me Page Raised
The cheerleading community is showing support on social media for Payton and The Woodlands Elite Generals team. There is a GoFundMe set up to help Washington and her family.
“She’s an amazing athlete, an amazing kid, so everybody knows her and everybody’s praying for her and we’re doing the same,” the Generals managing partner Lynne Shearer said.
Social Media Reactions
Erica Lopez Posted
Prayers going up for the girls and their families! But I have to say the journalism here In this article is horrible as well!
From the grammar to the storyline not being clear for “this” reader anyway! I don’t need anyone who is not affiliated with CBS News to comment on my statement. THANKS!
Nicole Posted
That’s horrible! One time I and my kids walked up to a car JUST like ours and we opened the door & I was like OH NOT OUR CAR that’s so wrong…. It’s a common mistake ppl have in the same car.
Panco Mccarthy Posted
It appears obvious the dude in the car was homicidal and mentally ill. One could imagine millions of people just like him out there who will kill someone for no reason. Very dangerous times.
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