‘Role model’ cheerleader Payton Washington shot after teammate ‘got into wrong car’ outside Texas supermarket
A “role model” cheerleader born with only one lung has had part of her spleen removed after being shot in another apparent case of somebody being shot for being in the wrong place in the US.
Payton Washington, 18, was shot in the leg and back in a supermarket car park in Texas on Monday while her teammate Heather Roth was also hurt in the same incident, the team’s owner Lynne Shearer said.
The high school students were on their way home from practice, Ms Shearer, who owns Woodlands Elite Cheer, told TV station KXAN of nearby Austin.
Ms Roth accidentally tried to get into the wrong car, Ms Shearer said. That’s when, she added, a “guy got out and they saw that he had a gun.
“And so they tried to speed off and he shot his gun, like five times or so into the car.”
Pedro Tello Rodriguez Jr, 25, was arrested on suspicion of being involved in deadly conduct, and could be jailed for up to 10 years if convicted.
Pedro Tello Rodriguez was arrested on suspicion of being involved in deadly conduct. Pic: AP
Elgin police said in a statement: “Information suggests that an altercation occurred in the parking lot, and multiple shots were fired into a vehicle.”
A bullet grazed Ms Roth, who was treated at the scene, police said, outside the N-E-B supermarket, where members of the team had stopped to change vehicles for the ride home.
Ms Roth said she got out of her friend’s car and into a car she thought was hers, but there was a stranger in the passenger seat, KTRK-TV said.
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She said she panicked and got back into her friend’s car, but the man got out of his vehicle and approached.
She said she tried to apologise through her friend’s car window, but the man threw up his hands, pulled out a gun and opened fire.
Ms Roth said: “Payton opens the door, and she starts throwing up blood.”
Ms Washington, who was born with one lung, was flown to hospital in critical condition where doctors removed part of her spleen, KTRK-TV reported.
The young woman is a star of the team and “a huge face in the all-star cheerleading world,” Ms Shearer said.
“She’s a mentor and role model to so many kids in this industry. She’s an amazing athlete, amazing kid,” she added.
The Woodlands team was rehearsing for this weekend’s Cheerleading Worlds in Orlando.
It’s the latest high-profile US shooting where victims went to the wrong addresses.
Kaylin Gillis, 20, was shot and killed when the car she and her friends were driving in made a wrong turn while looking for a friend’s house in New York state on Saturday.
Ralph Yarl, 18, was shot and wounded after going to the wrong Kansas City home to pick up his younger brothers last Thursday.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has been linked to a second group chat about sensitive military operations, which he reportedly shared with his wife, brother and personal lawyer.
The messages sent via the Signal messaging app are again understood to have contained details of an attack on Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis in March.
The second chat group, initially reported by The New York Times, included about a dozen people. It revealed details of the schedule of the airstrikes, according to the Reuters news agency.
Two sources with knowledge of the matter told Sky News’ US partner network NBC News there were 13 people in the second chat group, and Mr Hegseth divulged the information despite an aide warning him about using an unsecure communications system.
Mr Hegseth’s wife, Jennifer, a former Fox News producer, has attended sensitive meetings with foreign military counterparts, while his brother was hired at the Pentagon as a Department of Homeland Security liaison and senior adviser.
Military details from the first chat group were revealed by a journalist from The Atlantic magazine who was accidentally added to the Signal app by national security adviser Mike Waltz.
Mr Hegseth then shared sensitive information with cabinet officials about last month’s airstrike on targets in Yemen, which was later leaked.
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Mike Waltz (left) and Pete Hegseth (right) have used Signal to discuss sensitive government matters. Pic: AP
‘A non-story,’ says White House
But the White House has consistently defended Mr Hegseth.
Donald Trump dismissed the original leak as “something that can happen”.
Responding to the latest chat group, White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly said: “No matter how many times the legacy media tries to resurrect the same non-story, they can’t change the fact that no classified information was shared.
“Recently-fired ‘leakers’ are continuing to misrepresent the truth to soothe their shattered egos and undermine the President’s agenda, but the administration will continue to hold them accountable.”
The “leakers” referred to in the White House statement are four senior officials who were ousted from the Pentagon last week as part of an internal leak investigation.
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Leaked war plans: ‘Fairly serious’
‘Hegseth put lives at risk’
The New York Times reported that the second chat – named “Defence | Team Huddle” – was created on Mr Hegseth’s private phone.
It detailed the same warplane launch times as the first chat.
Several former and current officials have said sharing those operational details before a strike would have certainly been classified, and their release could have put pilots in danger.
Democratic politicians have repeatedly called for Mr Hegseth to step down.
“We keep learning how Pete Hegseth put lives at risk,” Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer said in a post on X.
“But [Donald] Trump is still too weak to fire him. Pete Hegseth must be fired.”
The latest claims about Mr Hegseth emerged as Yemen’s Houthi rebels reported another wave of US airstrikes on Sunday, including on the capital Sanaa.
The Houthis said at least 12 people had been killed, with 30 more injured.
The US says its bombing campaign is in response to Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping lanes.
DHL Express is suspending some shipments to the US as Donald Trump’s new tariff regime takes effect.
From 21 April, shipments worth more than $800 (£603) to US consumers from “any origin” will be temporarily suspended.
New rules that came into effect at the start of April made such shipments subject to increased customs checks.
“This change has caused a surge in formal customs clearances, which we are handling around the clock,” said the parcel delivery service.
Shipments going from business to business worth more than $800 aren’t affected by the suspension, but DHL warned they may also face delays.
Shipments under $800 to either businesses or consumers are not impacted, but one British cycle manufacturer suggested its US customers may need to split orders over $800 into “smaller shipments” to avoid the red tape.
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From May, shipments from China and Hong Kong that are worth less than $800 “will be subject to all applicable duties”, according to the White House.
“President Trump is targeting deceptive shipping practices by Chinese-based shippers, many of whom hide illicit substances, including synthetic opioids, in low-value packages,” it said in a statement.
Until now, deliveries worth less than $800 didn’t incur any duties, which allowed low-cost companies Chinese like Shein and Temu to make inroads in the US.
Both have warned their prices will now rise because of the rule changes, starting on 25 April.
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