A man has been arrested and charged after two cheerleaders were shot Monday night in an HEB parking lot in Elgin after accidentally trying to get into the wrong car, officials said. One cheerleader was treated at the scene and another was taken to hospital with serious injuries.
Officers said they identified Pedro Tello Rodriguez Jr. like the shooter, he was arrested and charged with third-degree felony deadly conduct.
Police said they received a call at 12:15 a.m. Tuesday that multiple shots had been fired in the area of 1080 East US 290. An HEB manager had seen a man, later identified as Rodriguez, shoot multiple shots at a Kia before fleeing, according to an arrest affidavit. .
While officers were responding, they received another call about a shooting in the 800 block of Texas 95 North, about 2 miles from the first call. The police determined that the events were related.
Surveillance video from the HEB parking lot showed Rodriguez’s license plate, according to the affidavit. He also said Rodriguez was “known to Elgin police officers from previous encounters with police.” Police later found Rodriguez at his Elgin home wearing the same clothing seen in the surveillance video, according to the affidavit.
The investigation is ongoing and additional or enhanced charges could be filed, according to a police news release.
Heather Roth, a cheerleader for the Woodlands Elite Cheer Co., told ABC News that she and three other cheerleaders had completed the practice when they went to a shared lot at the HEB.
Roth told ABC News that she got out of her friend’s car and opened the door of what she thought was her car, but the shooting suspect was in the passenger seat.
Roth said he returned to his friend’s vehicle and the shooter approached, according to ABC News. Roth said he rolled down the window to apologize and the shooter opened fire on the teenagers.
On Tuesday evening, Woodlands Elite confirmed the incident on their Facebook page and asked for prayers for the victims, their families and friends.
“4 of our girls were involved in a horrible incident on their way home from practice last night,” wrote Woodlands Elite. “Please keep these girls and our cheerleading family in your thoughts and prayers. We appreciate our cheerleading community.”
According to a GoFundMe page hosted by the Woodlands Elite Generals cheerleading team, the cheerleader in critical condition is Payton Washington. The GoFundMe page says he is in stable condition in the intensive care unit.
Additional information provided by USA TODAY’s Natalie Neysa Alund.
