TEXAS: In an unfortunate incident in Austin, Texas, two high school cheerleaders were shot in a parking lot after one of them appeared to approach the wrong vehicle.
According to the family, one of the victims, 18-year-old Payton Washington, is in critical condition at the hospital. The second victim was attended to at the scene.
Their cheer company described the shooting, that took place at 05:15 GMT/00:15 local time on Tuesday, as “horrific”.
Police charged Pedro Tello Rodriguez Jr, 25, with “deadly conduct”. Police detained the suspect after tracing his vehicle licence plate number. A convenience store manager also witnessed the shooting, according to court documents.
The incident occured outside a supermarket in Elgin, about 25 miles from Austin.
According to Elgin police, there was a fight in the parking lot, and shots were fired into a car many times.
Cheerleaders of Ms Washington’s squad conducted a prayer vigil on Tuesday night.
During the ceremony, Heather Roth, the second victim who had a bullet graze her thigh, explained how swiftly the situation developed. Roth said she accidentally chose the wrong automobile as she got out of her friend’s car to get into her own.
She went back to her friend’s car since there was a man in the passenger seat. “I watched as the man exit the passenger door. As I rolled down my window to apologise to him, he suddenly threw up his hands, pulled out a revolver, and started shooting at all of us”, she added.
For Ms Washington’s medical costs, the cheerleading squad of the Woodlands Elite Generals has set up a GoFundMe page. She was “shot twice and badly injured,” the campaign stated. The four girls were riding together after practice when the shooting took place, according to team owner Lynn Shearer. She said in an interview with CBS News that Ms Washington’s spleen was ruptured in the attack while her pancreas and diaphragm were also hurt.
After being transported by helicopter to a hospital, where physicians removed her spleen, the 18-year-old’s father, Keylon Washington, informed NBC News that she was in a stable but serious condition.
“Since she was born, Payton has managed to do everything she has with just one lung. She is as resilient as they come,” he told the news outlet. Ms Washington will enrol at Baylor University in the fall and participate in the school’s acrobatics and tumbling squad.
Fee Mulkey, head coach of Baylor, requested the neighbourhood to pray for Ms Washington and her family as they recover. She tweeted, “We love you and we hope to see you soon.” After tracing the suspect’s car’s number plate number, he was apprehended. According to court filings, the shooting was also seen by the manager of a convenience shop.
Please lift incoming freshman, Payton Washington, and her family up in prayer as she recovers from last night’s tragic event. We love you @we_payton and we look forward to seeing you soon! #BaylorFamily pic.twitter.com/2MzsbepOpY
— Fee Mulkey (@BaylorAcroCoach) April 18, 2023
The event is one of several shootings this week involving young Americans who reportedly went to the incorrect house or person by accident. Kaylin Gillis, 20, was fatally shot in New York State on Saturday when a buddy drove down the wrong driveway by mistake. Ralph Yarl, 16, was shot in the head and arm last Thursday in Missouri after ringing the doorbell at the incorrect location.
