Pedro Tello Rodríguez Jr. arrested for shooting 2 cheerleaders who accidentally tried to get into the wrong car

• Pedro Tello Rodríguez Jr. was arrested for shooting two cheerleaders.
• One of the girls accidentally tried to get into his car.
• 18-year-old Payton Washington is in critical condition.

Pedro Tello Rodríguez Jr. was arrested in Elgin, Texas, accused of shooting two young cheerleaders in a brutal attack in the parking lot of an H-E-B. One of the girls accidentally tried to get into his car, thinking it was hers, and the 25-year-old man responded by shooting into the girls’ car.

Payton Washington, 18, a member of Woodland’s Elite Cheer Company, in Houston metropolitan area, was badly injured. The girl is still fighting for her life in a Texas hospital room.

Pedro Tello Rodríguez Jr. shot 2 cheerleaders in Texas

The arrest warrant against Pedro Tello Rodríguez Jr., consulted by MundoNow, details that on Tuesday, April 18, 2023, just after midnight, 911 in Elgin, Texas received several calls alerting the authorities to a shooting.

Officers from the Elgin Police Department (EPD) went to the parking lot of the H-E-B supermarket, located at 1080 E. of US 290, where they found one of the girls badly wounded. Payton Washington, was airlifted to the hospital.

The girls accidentally tried to get into the wrong car

According to the other girls, they were all on their way home after cheerleading practice in Austin, Texas, where they were preparing for a competition.

On their way home they stopped at the Elgin H-E-B, which is halfway between the two cities. Upon returning to the friend’s car, one of the girls confused it with that of Pedro Tello Rodríguez Jr. The authorities did not detail what type of cars were the ones in the confusion.

Pedro Tello Rodríguez Jr. went over to their car and shot them for no reason

Pedro Tello Rodríguez Jr. apparently lost control when he saw Payton Washington and the other girls open the door to his car. He walked over to their car and as they rolled down the window to apologize, he began shooting.

One girl was grazed by a bullet and Payton Washington was shot twice in the back. Pedro Tello Rodríguez Jr. fled the scene. Washington remains hospitalized in critical condition.

Pedro Tello Rodríguez Jr. is arrested

After the brutal shooting, EPD officers mounted an operation to search for the H-E-B shooter and a few blocks from the supermarket the officers found and detained the driver who was identified as Pedro Tello Rodríguez Jr.

He is currently in the Bastrop County Jail, awaiting his first hearing before a judge on three counts of aggravated assault with a firearm. The Penal Code of the State of Texas details that this crime is punishable by a sentence of two to ten years in prison.

“A senseless and random act of violence”

The Woodlands Elite Generals cheerleading team has started a GoFundMe campaign to help Payton Washington’s cover her medical expenses.

“They were brutally shot last night in a senseless and random act of violence. Payton was shot twice and seriously injured. She is stable… but she will have a long road to recovery. Please consider helping to ease the financial burden of this family’s medical expenses,” reads the description of the campaign titled Payton Washington’s Medical Expenses.