Payton Washington, Woodlands Elite Cheer Athletes injured in shooting near Austin, TX; GoFundMe

Woodlands Elite Cheer Athletes Shooting Investigations – A famous Woodlands Elite General Athlete will not be performing at the upcoming ALL-STAR CHEER WORLDS competition after she was left critically injured in a shooting overnight Tuesday. Payton Washington, of Woodlands Elite Cheer, has been hospitalized after a man fired multiple shots at their vehicle. According to the Elgin Police Department, 25-year-old Pedro Tello Rodriguez Jr. has been arrested in connection to the incident. “The male fired shots at several athletes from Woodlands Elite at approximately 12:15 AM.”

According to investigators, two of the athletes were struck, and one sustained a gunshot wound that was determined not life-threatening. A second victim who has now been identified as Payton Washington was airlifted to an area hospital in critical condition. In a release by the police department, Officers were dispatched to the HEB, located at 1080 E. US 290, reference shots fired. While officers were responding to the scene an additional call was received for a shooting victim, in the 800 block of SH 95 N.

It was determined these two incidents were related. Information suggests that an altercation occurred in the parking lot of HEB, and multiple shots were fired into a vehicle. Two occupants of the vehicle were struck by gunfire. One victim was treated and released on scene. The other sustained serious injuries and was transported to the hospital by helicopter, where they remain in critical condition.

At approximately 12:15 AM, Detectives and Crime Scene units responded to the scene. Officers worked through the night to identify and locate the suspect who was identified as 25-year-old, Pedro Tello Rodriguez Jr. Subsequently, Tello Rodriguez Jr. was taken into custody and charged with Deadly Conduct, a third-degree felony.

Core Athletix; Our hearts are heavy as we send our love and prayers for our friends at Woodlands Elite. We are deeply saddened to hear about the gun violence that has affected some of their athletes. We stand with them during this difficult time and wish those who were injured a full and speedy recovery. Stay strong, Woodlands Elite, the cheer community is here for you. #WoodlandsEliteStrong #CheerFamily #PrayforWoodlandsElite

A GoFundMe Account has been created to help raise money for Payton’s hospital expenses. “Three of our Generals and one Red Angel were viciously shot at last night in a random act of violence. Payton was shot twice and badly injured. She is stable in the ICU and will have a long road to recovery. Please consider helping to ease the financial burden to this family of their medical expenses. We ask that you keep our athletes in your prayers at this devastating time.” This is still an active investigation. Additional or enhanced charges may be filed. Public Information Officer, Amy Miller will provide additional information as it becomes available. She may be contacted at 512-801-5748, or [email protected].

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