ELGIN, Texas — We have good news about the Central Texas cheerleader who was shot and critically wounded last week in an H-E-B parking lot.
Payton Washington, who trains in The Woodlands, spent several days in ICU but she's now recovering at home, according to KVUE, our sister station in Austin.
She will begin physical therapy soon.
Washington and teammate Heather Roth were shot after carpooling from the Houston area to Elgin where they had parked their cars.
Pedro Tello Rodriguez Jr. is charged with felony deadly conduct and remains jailed on a $500,000 bond. Police said more charges could be filed and the investigation continues.
The shooting
Elgin police were called to the HEB on 1080 E. US 290, about a 30-minute drive from Austin, after shots were fired on April 18.
They found Washington and Roth injured in the parking lot.
According to Lynne Shearer, the owner of the Woodlands Elite Cheer Co., the victims trained at her gym before returning to Elgin to get their cars.
Shearer said Roth accidentally went to the wrong vehicle and opened the door, thinking it was hers. She said she tried to apologize but the man in the passenger seat pulled out a gun and started shooting.
Washington and Roth were hit and Washington had to be flown to the hospital. Roth was treated for a graze wound at the scene.
Payton Washington
Washington, 18, is a senior at Stony Point High School in Round Rock and has been described as an icon and elite superstar.
"She’s really a huge face in the all-star cheerleading world," Shearer said. "She’s a mentor and role model to so many kids in this industry. She’s an amazing athlete, amazing kid, so everybody knows her and everybody’s praying for her."
Washington is set to join Baylor University's acrobatics and tumbling team later this year on a scholarship.