Texas cheerleader's alleged shooter indicted by Bastrop County grand jury

Man indicted for shooting Texas cheerleader

The man accused of shooting and severely injuring a Texas high school cheerleader last spring in Elgin has been indicted on two felony counts.

BASTROP COUNTY, Texas - A man accused of shooting and injuring a Texas high school cheerleader in Elgin last spring has been indicted by a Bastrop County grand jury.

The grand jury indicted Pedro Tello-Rodriguez on charges of third-degree felony deadly conduct discharging a firearm and second-degree felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. This comes more than a year after Payton Washington was shot.

Pedro Tello Rodriguez Jr. (Photo: Bastrop County Sheriff's Office)

The grand jury determined Tello-Rodriguez "knowingly discharge a firearm at or in the direction of a vehicle, and the defendant was reckless as to whether the vehicle was occupied, namely defendant fired a firearm in the direction of the vehicle after he saw an individual enter said vehicle. And it is further presented that a deadly weapon, namely, a firearm, was used or exhibited during the commission of the charged offense."

The grand jury also said Tello-Rodriguez "intentionally, knowingly, and recklessly cause bodily injury to Payton Washington by shooting the body of Payton Washington with a firearm, and the defendant used or exhibited a deadly weapon, namely a firearm during commission of the assault."

Tello-Rodriguez’s first hearing is set for November 6, 2024.

What happened in April 2023?

Texas cheerleader awake, talking as she recovers in ICU

As of Wednesday, April 19, Shearer says Payton is doing as well as she can. She is awake and talking and will spend a few more days in the ICU.

On Monday, April 17, 2023, Stony Point High School cheerleader Payton Washington and her three teammates were returning home from an out-of-town cheer practice at Woodlands Elite in the Woodlands.

They had left their cars in the parking lot of the H-E-B on East 290 in Elgin.

A source close to the investigation told FOX 7 that one of the cheerleaders mistakenly tried to get in the wrong car, realized what she did, and turned to walk away to her actual car.

Tello-Rodriguez was in the other car with a gun, and he fired multiple shots at the girls.

Texas All-Star Cheerleader recovering after being shot before her last world championship

Those close to the cheerleader said it was supposed to be a big weekend for her, but instead she won’t be able to participate because of a senseless act of violence.

"It was a harrowing night for all four of those girls," Woodlands Elite Cheer owner Lynne Shearer told FOX 7 Austin in April 2023.

One cheerleader was treated and released at the scene. Peyton was airlifted to a local hospital and spent time recovering from the shooting in the ICU.

Peyton woke up in the hospital with a shattered spleen, damaged diaphragm and pancreas, two holes in her stomach, 32 staples, and her world flipped upside down.

TX cheerleader back on mat after shooting

Texas cheerleader Peyton Washington is back on the mat at Baylor University after recovering from her injuries. She was shot several times after a mix up in a grocery store parking lot in Elgin.

She was supposed to compete that following weekend at her last All-Star Cheerleader World Championships while also getting ready to graduate when she was shot.

She was released from the hospital after a week, and is now part of Baylor University's Acrobatics and Tumbling team.

Bastrop County Crime and Public Safety