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An Austin-area high school cheerleader who trains in The Woodlands is home from the hospital after getting shot in a grocery store parking lot, according to a report from Houston CBS affiliate KHOU.
Eighteen-year-old Payton Washington and three other young women were on the way home from practicing with Woodlands Elite Cheer when they stopped at an H-E-B in Elgin, which was their designated carpool spot, Austin Journal reported.
A teammate of Washington’s got in a vehicle she mistook for hers and the occupant opened fire on the girls, injuring the two cheerleaders, including the Baylor University (BU) bound Washington.
The suspected gunman – identified as 25-year-old Pedro Tello Rodriguez, Jr. – was arrested and charged in the incident, KHOU reported.
KHOU’s sister station in Austin, ABC affiliate KVUE, reported that Washington, a senior at Round Rock Stony Brook High School, will soon begin physical therapy.
“She’s an amazing athlete, amazing kid, so everybody knows her and everybody’s praying for her,” Woodlands Elite owner Lynne Shearer said in the report.
Washington’s ordeal prevented her from competing with her team at the World Cheerleading Championships in Orlando, Florida, which was held days after the horrific shooting.
According to Houston NBC affiliate KPRC, Woodlands Elite earned second place in the form of the competition’s Silver Globe Trophy.
KPRC reported that Shearer said Washington’s absence loomed large, but the squad pulled through.
A photographer at the competition took to Twitter to express how they felt watching the Generals perform.
“I sobbed,” the tweet read. “Generals, you should be so proud of what you accomplished this weekend. You all have overcome more than any team at this competition and can hold your heads up high knowing you made Payton proud and left it all on the mat.”
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help with Washington’s medical expenses, with approximately $142,000 raised toward the $250,000 goal as of press time.