Four cheerleaders were shot in a Texas parking lot after one of them mistakenly tried to enter the wrong car. The suspected shooter, an elderly white man, has surrendered to authorities. The incident occurred while the cheerleaders were using the grocery store parking lot to carpool to cheer practice. Two of the cheerleaders were seriously wounded. The shooting is part of a spate of similar incidents this week in the United States.
A Black teenager was shot in Missouri after ringing the wrong doorbell, and a young woman was shot dead in New York state after showing up at an incorrect address. Deadly shootings are a regular occurrence in the United States, a country of around 330 million people and an estimated 400 million guns.
The girls were making an approximately 360-mile round trip three times a week to participate in an elite competitive cheerleading team. One cheerleader identified by local media as Payton Washington sustained serious injuries and was transported to the hospital by helicopter. A GoFundMe campaign had raised nearly $70,000 as of Wednesday morning to help with her recovery.
Ralph Yarl, 16, was shot twice after ringing the wrong doorbell in Missouri while trying to pick up his twin brothers. The suspected shooter, an elderly white man, has surrendered to authorities and pleaded not guilty to assault and armed criminal action. And a 20-year-old woman in New York state was shot dead by a homeowner on Saturday night when she showed up with three others at the wrong address when trying to find a friend’s house.
It is important to note that deadly shootings are a serious problem in the United States and should be addressed.
