On Tuesday April 18, 2023, four teenage girls carpooled to cheerleading practice together. Three of them parked their cars at a local supermarket, and after practice, their friend drove them back to their vehicles. Unfortunately, an innocent mistake ended in tragedy.
One of the teens accidentally approached the wrong car, mistaking it for her own. There was a man in the car, and she immediately realized her mistake.
Lynn Shearer, owner of Woodland’s Elite Cheer Co, spoke to NBC News about the incident involving cheerleaders on her cheer company’s team. She explained that the driver of the car had a gun, and when one of the teens accidentally started to get in his car, he immediately pulled out his gun.
The teens returned to their friend’s car and “tried to speed off,” but they weren’t quick enough. The gunman “shot his gun, like five times or so into the car.”
Cheerleader Payton Washington, 18, was shot two times, once in her leg, and once in her back. According to Payton’s father, Kelan Washington, her teammates are doing “fine;” however, Payton is in the ICU at Dell Seton Medical Center at The University of Texas in Austin.
Woodland Elite released a statement on Instagram about the incident asking for “prayers” for all four girls involved in the incident, “Payton, Keyona, Heather & Genesis. Also Big prayers for Payton as she recovers please.”
In a statement released by the Elgin Police Department, the police explained, “multiple shots were fired into a vehicle. Two occupants of the vehicle were struck by gun fire. One victim was treated and released on scene. The other sustained serious injuries and was transported to the hospital by helicopter.”
Although it doesn’t help Payton heal any faster, the good news is that the police were able to identify and arrest the gunman. The police statement continued, “Officers worked through the night to identify and located the suspect who was identified as 25-year-old, Pedro Tello Rodriguez Jr.,” who was “taken into custody and charged with Deadly Conduct.”
A GoFundMe has been set up to help pay for Payton’s medical expenses.