ELGIN, Texas — One of the cheerleaders injured in a shooting outside an Elgin H-E-B is expressing gratitude for the outpouring of support she and teammate Payton Washington have received.
Heather Roth was grazed by a bullet early Tuesday when a man fired several shots into their vehicle after they returned to Elgin from a training session in The Woodlands.
Editor's note: The above video originally aired on April 18.
Washington was critically wounded with gunshots in the leg and back.
On Thursday, Roth shared a message for Washington and their supporters on Instagram.
"So incredibly grateful for the love and support we have received the last couple days. It's not been easy but we will come out the other side stronger than ever. everything we do is for you P," Roth posted.
The victims and two other teammates parked at the Elgin grocery store, about 30 minutes west of Austin, so they could carpool to The Woodlands where they are members of an elite cheer squad.
What happened
Roth said she got out of her friend's car and thought she was opening her car door, but realized it was the wrong vehicle when she saw a man sitting in the passenger's seat.
She said she panicked and got back into her friend’s car, but the man followed her.
"I was trying to apologize to him for accidentally getting in the wrong car. I didn't get in the car; I just opened the door," she said. "He just threw his hands up, and then he pulled out a gun and he just started shooting at us."
What happened next is something she will never forget.
“Payton opens the door, and she starts throwing up blood,” Roth said.
Washington was airlifted to a hospital where surgeons had to remove part of her spleen. Her pancreas and diaphragm were also damaged.
At last check, she remained in ICU but is reportedly making progress.
The other two girls in the car weren't hurt.
How police tracked suspected shooter
Police arrested Pedro Tello Rodriguez Jr., 25, on Tuesday. He is charged with engaging in deadly conduct, a third-degree felony and remains jailed on a $500,000 bond.
According to a probable cause affidavit, a store manager said he witnessed the shooting and officers tracked down Rodriguez using parking lot surveillance video that captured his license plate number.
Detectives searched databases and located an address for Rodriguez. He was arrested in the same clothes that he was wearing on the surveillance video, court documents said.
The affidavit didn't indicate whether the footage captured the shooting or what led up to it.
The investigation continues and more charges could be filed.
'Amazing athlete, amazing kid'
According to Lynne Shearer, the owner of the Woodlands Elite Cheer Co., Washington is one of her team's stars and was born with only one lung.
“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.”
The team is scheduled to compete in their final competition this weekend at the Cheerleading Worlds in Orlando, Florida.
Shearer said they want to win more than ever for Washington.
Washington has committed to competing for Baylor University's acrobatics and tumbling team in the fall.
The university said although she is making good progress, she still has a long way to go.
She's overcome physical challenges before.
"She’s a special kid. Not a lot of people know this about her, but she’s only got one lung and she’s already working harder than everyone else most of the time," said her coach, Kevin Tonner, who rushed to be at her bedside after the shooting.
Washington's future coach at Baylor, Felecia Mulkey, also visited her on Tuesday. She later released the following statement.
“Payton is a strong young lady; if you know her, you know that about her. I have no doubt she’s going to get through this. She’s an amazing athlete but a better human, and that’s why she’s a part of our Baylor family. My prayers are with Payton and her teammates that were involved in Monday night’s tragic event, I know mental wounds also leave scars. We want to lift up the athletes and their families during this difficult time. We love Payton and we wish her well as she recovers.”
