ELGIN, Texas — A man is in custody after police say he shot two people in the parking lot of an H-E-B in Elgin early Tuesday morning. The owner of Woodlands Elite Cheer Co., Lynne Shearer, confirmed the two victims were athletes with the team.
Shearer said four cheerleaders have been commuting from the Austin area to the team's location in Oak Ridge, Texas, all season. They carpool together and regularly park their cars at the H-E-B in Elgin.
On Tuesday, they were involved in a confrontation that ended in gunfire. Two of the girls were hit, with one suffering serious injuries.
Cheerleading coach Kevin Tonner confirmed that the victim who sustained serious injuries is Payton Washington, a young woman he has worked with for almost 10 years and a student at Stoney Point High School in Round Rock.
Baylor University Head Coach of Acrobatics and Tumbling Felecia Mulkey said Washington is an incoming freshman.
Tonner called Washington hardworking, genuine and special.
"It's a little bit of shock at first, and then you kind of get to take yourself away and have your own simple sadness. But you know, my focus is just on the kids and bringing them together," Tonner said.
"[Washington is] really a huge face in the all-star cheerleading world – she's a mentor and a 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," Shearer said.
Woodlands Elite Cheer has started a GoFundMe to help raise money for Washington's medical expenses, saying she faces a "long road to recovery."
A prayer vigil at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday was streamed on the Woodlands Elite Generals' Instagram.