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Payton Washington: Texas cheerleader who was shot after getting into wrong car got her spleen removed

'People can not accidentally get in the wrong car or ring the wrong door bell without being shot at,' fumed a user

EGLIN, TEXAS: A star Texas cheerleader who was severely injured in a callous shooting after her friend mistakenly got into the wrong car is in “stable” condition after doctors removed her spleen. Payton Washington, 18, a high school senior from Round Rock, who was born with one lung, is recovering in an Austin intensive care unit after Pedro Tello Rodriguez Jr, 25, shot her on Tuesday, April 18, in an H-E-B market parking lot in Elgin following practice at Woodlands Elite Cheer Co.

“Payton’s accomplished everything she has with only one lung when she was born. She’s as tough as they come,” her father, Kelan Washington, told NBC. Rodriguez was reportedly arrested and charged with deadly conduct and a third-degree felony. He is being held on a $500,000 bond.

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What really happened?

The tragedy unfolded after cheerleader Heather Roth mistakenly got into the wrong car, thinking it was her own. Rodriguez was seated in the passenger seat of that car. Roth panicked on seeing him and went to her friend's car, which was Washington, and her other two teammates, Kiana and Genesis. Rodriguez then allegedly approached their car while Roth rolled down her window to apologize to him, but was met with gunfire. "The shooter raised his hands and then brandished his weapon, and then just started shooting at the girls," Kelan said, adding the gunman said nothing before pulling the trigger five times.

Washington was shot in the back and on the leg, prompting her to vomit blood while a bullet grazed Roth. The star cheerleader had to be flown to a hospital in critical condition, where she had multiple surgeries and Roth was treated at the scene. Washington's distraught father was bewildered by anyone who would feel threatened by his little girl, especially at the time she was donned in her cheerleading practice clothes. "You watched her walk up to your door by accident —it’s a girl in a cheer outfit," he said. The other girls are doing "fine" in the wake of the shootings and sending their support for Washington's speedy recovery, said Kelan. 

"They’re family. Those girls are Payton’s sisters, basically, in spirit and in team camaraderie," he said. "Everybody is rallying around Payton; it’s pretty refreshing." "Of course, they’re very concerned about their sister, and they’re very concerned about their leader. Payton was the leader of this cheer squad in Houston." Kelan described his daughter as "beautiful inside and out" and pointed out she had earned a tumbling scholarship to attend Baylor University after graduation.

'None y'all mistook someone else's car for yours huh?'

Internet users were equally bewildered by the tragedy. One user fumed, "The USA is a scary place. People cannot go to movie theaters, grocery stores, or even school without being shot at. People can not accidentally get in the wrong car or ring the wrong doorbell without being shot at. Anyone who shoots an innocent person should do life!!!" Another added, "So big tough gun-toting Pedro was afraid of this young woman who mistakenly opened his car door & felt the need to shoot her? WTF? Too many guns in too many crazy hands….. PERIOD." A third tweeted, "This is a terrible story, and hope for a Great ending. But I hope this guy never sees the light of day for the rest of his life." A fourth questioned the incident, "None y'all mistook someone else's car for yours huh?" A fifth chimed, “Cheerleader”? She’s a young woman/lady/female."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online