Payton Washington, Heather Roth.Photo: Go Fund Me; Instagram
A Texas cheerleader who was shotafter she accidentally got into the wrong car in a supermarket parking lot says she’s confident her injured friend will recover.
According to authorities, the shooting happened after Heather had gotten out of a friend’s car and approached a vehicle that looked similar to hers parked at an H-E-B supermarket in Elgin — a city located about 25 miles east of Austin — and tried to open it, only to realize there was a man in the passenger seat.
“He just threw his hands up, and then he pulled out a gun and he just started shooting at all of us,” she recalled,CNNreports.
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Lynne Shearer, owner of the Woodlands Elite Cheer Company, where the girls practice, said Payton was “throwing up blood” after she was shot, but was “doing well” Wednesday evening following the removal of her spleen.
“Her stomach is not closed up yet, and they are keeping her on heavy antibiotics for at least 48 hours to hopefully fight off infection,” Shearer said, per CNN. “Once they are sure there is no infection, they will go back in and finish up any issues and close her up.”
Payton’s father Kelan Washington told NBC News his daughter was born with just one lung and is “as tough as they come.” He also expressed anger about the shooting.
“You watched her walk up to your door on accident — it’s a girl in a cheer outfit,” Washington said, per the outlet.
Police announced the arrest of Pedro Tello Rodriguez, Jr., in connection with the shooting. Rodriguez, 25, is charged with felony deadly conduct.
It’s unclear if he retained an attorney or entered a plea to the charge.
source: people.com
