A man named Pedro Tello Rodriguez Jr. has been arrested in Austin, Texas for shooting two cheerleaders, Payton Washington and Heather Roth, after Heather mistakenly got into the wrong car in the parking lot of a supermarket chain called HEB. The police arrived at the scene at around 12:15 AM on Tuesday after receiving reports of shots being fired. According to the police statement, an altercation took place in the parking lot, and multiple shots were fired into a vehicle, injuring the two occupants.
Four cheerleaders from Woodlands Elite, including Payton, Keyona, Heather, and Genesis, were involved in the incident, using the parking lot as a carpool zone. The cheerleading company has reportedly started a GoFundMe page to raise money for their medical expenses.
In an Instagram Live video, Heather said that she and her three friends arrived at the lot just after midnight. When Heather opened the door to a car she thought was hers, she saw Tello Rodriguez and quickly retreated to her friend’s car.
Despite apologizing, the shooter started firing his gun, grazing Heather with a bullet and shooting Payton twice in the leg and back. Payton remains in critical condition, undergoing operations in the intensive care unit.
After working through the night, the detectives and crime units managed to catch Tello Rodriguez, who was taken into custody and charged with Deadly Conduct, a third-degree felony. The police noted that the investigation was still ongoing, and additional or enhanced charges may be filed.
This incident is not the only recent shooting that occurred due to a mistake. Last week, a Black teen named Ralph Yarl was shot by a white homeowner in Missouri after he rang the doorbell at the wrong house. The homeowner, said to be an octogenarian, shot Yarl twice in the head and arm.
Yarl was out to pick up his brothers from a friend’s house when the incident transpired. Benjamin Crump, a civil rights attorney representing Yarl and his family, tweeted that Yarl was in critical condition and his family needed support during this tragedy.
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