Payton Washington GoFundMe raises more than $60,000 after Woodlands Elite cheerleader is shot 

Payton Washington, a Texas cheerleader, was reportedly critically injured on Tuesday, April 18, after a gunman open-fired on four members of Woodlands' elite competitive cheerleading team. The violent incident reportedly unfolded after one of the athletes mistakenly tried to get into the wrong car that she believed to be her own after practice.

As per the New York Post, at least two members of the Woodlands Elite Cheer Company were wounded, including Payton Washington, who sustained serious injuries after a gunman open-fired in the parking lot of supermarket chain H-E-B in Elgin.

In the wake of the tragic incident, Woodlands Elite Cheer Company launched a GoFundMe to help with the medical expenses of Payton Washington, who was shot twice during the incident.

The fundraiser page, which has raised more than $60,000, said that Washington was stable but was still in the ICU. In an Instagram live Tuesday evening, a coach for the cheerleading company detailed the injuries sustained by Washington, who reportedly suffered damage to multiple organs and had her spleen removed.

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Details of Payton Washington shooting incident explored

As per ABC News, on Tuesday, four cheerleaders, including Payton Washington, drove from the Round Rock area to Woodlands Elite Cheer Company in Oak Ridge for practice. The teammates who carpooled together were driving back to Elgin - their meetup point - when the incident unfolded.

Shortly after practice, one of the members of the team, Heather Roth, reportedly got out of her friend’s car and opened the door to a vehicle she believed to be her own but found another man seated in the passenger seat.

Roth said upon finding another man in the car, she immediately clambered out of the vehicle and got back into the friend’s car. Moments later, a man from the other vehicle allegedly approached their car and shot at them multiple times after they apologized for getting into the wrong vehicle. The assailant then fled the scene.

According to authorities, Roth, who suffered a graze wound, was treated at the scene, but her teammate, Payton Washington, who was shot twice in the leg and back, had to be flown to a nearby hospital in critical condition.

Following the incident, Woodlands Elite Cheer Company co-owner Lynne Shearer revealed that Washington, who was born with one lung, was a resilient competitor and fighter who excelled in her chosen field.

In a statement to Fox News, Shearer said:

“She literally was born with one lung, so from the very beginning as a baby, she wasn’t even expected to survive, let alone excel in athletics, so she’s surpassed a lot of things already. She’s literally an icon in the world of all-star cheerleaders. I mean, definitely at our gym, but literally all around the country she has so many little kids look up to her.”

Payton Washington reportedly earned a scholarship to join Baylor University’s tumble and acrobatics team after high school graduation. As per ABC News, the head coach of the university, Felecia Mulkey, visited Washington in the hospital after the incident.

In a statement to Eyewitness News, Mulkey condoled the incident that critically injured the star athlete:

"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, who were involved in last 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."

On Tuesday, Elgin police arrested the alleged gunman, 25-year-old Pedro Tello Rodriguez Jr., and charged him with deadly conduct. In a similar incident last week, 16-year-old Ralph Yarl was shot after knocking on the wrong door in Kansas.