Posted on 04/19/2023 11:32:56 AM PDT by Red Badger
One of the victims was critically injured in the shooting that unfolded early Tuesday outside an H-E-B supermarket in Elgin, Texas, police said.
A man has been arrested after two Texas cheerleaders were shot, one critically, after one of them mistakenly got into the wrong car, according to police and the owner of the gym where they trained.
Officers in Elgin, about 25 miles northeast of Austin, responded to reports of shots fired outside an H-E-B supermarket around 12:15 a.m. local time (1:15 a.m. ET) Tuesday, the Elgin Police Department said in a news release.
"Information suggests that an altercation occurred in the parking lot of H-E-B, and multiple shots were fired into a vehicle," police said. Two of the car's occupants were struck by gunfire, with one victim sustaining serious injuries and transported by helicopter to a hospital, where they were listed in critical condition, police said.
The suspect, Pedro Tello Rodriguez Jr., 25, has been charged with deadly conduct, a third-degree felony, police said.
Lynn Shearer, owner of Woodlands Elite Cheer Co., told NBC affiliate KXAN of Austin that the two people shot were cheerleaders who were on their way home from practice.
Shearer said the cheerleaders typically carpooled from the Austin area to her gym. On Monday night, she said at least four cheerleaders were on their way back to the Austin area and had to stop at an H-E-B, where some of the members had parked their cars.
One of the girls accidentally tried to get into the wrong car, Shearer said. That's when, she said, a "guy got out and they saw that he had a gun. And so they tried to speed off and he shot his gun, like five times or so into the car." Woodlands Elite did not immediately respond to an overnight request for comment. The Elgin Police Department also did not immediately respond to an overnight request from NBC News seeking to confirm these details.
According to ABC News, Heather Roth, a cheerleader with the Woodlands Elite, said in an Instagram Live post that she was the one who got out of her friend's car and opened the door of another vehicle she thought was her own, only to notice a man was in the passenger seat. She said she got out of the car and back into her friend's vehicle, the report said.
Roth reportedly said the man approached their vehicle and she rolled down a window to apologize. That's when the man started shooting, she said, according to ABC News. The Instagram Live post was no longer available early Wednesday, but Roth shared a number of posts that appeared to be related to the incident. She did not immediately respond to overnight request for comment.
Victim critically injured known as a 'role model' Shearer identified the cheerleader who was critically injured in the shooting as Payton Washington, of the Round Rock Independent School District.
“She’s won every title there is to win in all-star cheerleading. She’s literally a role model for the kids in this industry throughout the country,” Shearer said. “Everybody knows her. She’s literally one of the very best that’s ever done this sport.”
Messages of support for Washington have poured in on social media in the wake of the shooting, with a prayer organized by Woodlands Elite held Tuesday. Meanwhile, a GoFundMe page organized by the Woodlands Elite Generals to help raise money to cover her hospital costs had raised more than $60,800 as of early Wednesday.
The GoFundMe page said Washington was "stable in the ICU and will have a long road to recovery."
Shearer said the cheerleaders had "grown up" in her gym. "We’ve known them for years, some of them literally, since they were, you know, 8, 10 years old,” she said. “So they’re like our family.”
The shooting, she said "was unfortunate. These girls were just trying to get home."
As Washington faces a long road to recovery, Shearer said, she and the Woodlands Elite team would be there to support her and others affected by the shooting every step of the way.
“Our goal right now is to take it one day at a time and be there for them,” Shearer said.
Shooting comes following 2 similar incidents The shooting comes on the heels of two other eerily similar high-profile incidents in which the victims were allegedly shot after mistakenly approaching the wrong addresses.
Last week, 16-year-old Ralph Yarl was shot and seriously injured after mistakenly ringing the wrong doorbell in Kansas City, Missouri, while trying to pick up his siblings in an incident that sparked national outrage.
Just days later, Kaylin Gillis, 20, was fatally shot by a homeowner after the car she was riding in mistakenly turned into the wrong driveway in upstate New York.
The two incidents sparked a national conversation around gun violence and “stand your ground” laws, according to which a would-be shooter defending life or property does not have to retreat before taking violent action. The shooting of the cheerleaders is likely to further fuel the discussion.
This doesn’t qualify as a SYG moment.
The girls were driving away and the driver shot them both..................
Several years ago, I was parked in the library parking lot. When I came out, I walked over to what I thought was my car (same make, model, year, and color). I pressed the button on my remote and heard the beep sound that the car makes when it unlocks. But the door wouldn’t open. I looked inside and noticed a pile of stuff on the passenger seat. I don’t pile stuff on the passenger seat. I looked around and my car was two cars over. I double checked the license plate, got in and drove away. The most curious thing is that the car is a fairly rare model.
Back before remote car fobs, I read that there were only about 10k different keys to a particular model. So you could eventually find another car with your key to unlock.................
/s
Seems like someone is trying to create a narrative.
I believe the word the media likes to use is “crisis” Followed by the demand to “do something” Which the anti-gun fecal matter in government is always ready and willing to do.
what is wrong with this guy? Tranny cheerleaders? LOL
well, it was worth a try — lol
Once I locked myself out of my old ‘07 F150 w/ keys, cell phone and wallet sitting plainly on the driver’s seat — just off 14th St. in DC, aka not the best area. As I flagged down passersby to call AAA, an old black man who lived in the project across the street came by. I explained the situation, and he said, “Hold on.”
He came back in a few minutes with a HUGE set of keys — three rings strung together w/ at least a hundred keys. He flipped through them, found one he liked, and opened the car door with it immediately.
I had at least put a Club on the steering wheel — he pointed to it and laughed, saying, “Get yerself an alarm.” I gave him the two fifties I had in my wallet and said, “God bless you.” Although clearly an old time car thief, I love him to this day.
All part of the new narrative. Since Brandon’s handlers were caught off guard by the tranny mass shooter, they decided to change up the narrative from mass shooters to focus on these types of accidents/mistakes. They are well aware that loads of people are freaked out by the lawlessness they allow and are scared to death of their mob rule mentality.
The person noticed something on the backseat...that wasn't his. My neighbors were dumbfounded..as was the gentleman that got in their car. They had that exact same car...with the exact same color. And apparently the exact same key to the cars.
Crazy...
True, but that won’t stop those trying to push their agenda.
Dynamite!!!
Or maybe you're gay.
The story is the guy, she must have somehow scratched his macho in those seconds.
I don’t invite girls young enough to be my grand-daughter to engage in eggplant-polishing exercises.
I’ll leave the statutory rape to Bidens and Bagsters.
That crime actually gets prosecuted in some States. I tell you this for your own protection. Choose wisely, my FRiend.
A very lovely well dressed thirty something female got into my car in a shopping center parking lot a few months ago. I sweetly said “Hi! Whatcha’ doin? She held it together really well saying “Oh sorry” as if she’d just lightly bumped into me in passing. I was kinda sorry to see her go…
I will not judge your gayness, so relax. It could be worse, you could be a gay tranny. How do you feel about Bud Lite?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.