Two Texas cheerleaders shot after getting into wrong car

Two high school cheerleaders in Texas were shot, apparently after approaching the wrong car in a parking lot outside of Austin.

One of the athletes, Payton Washington, 18, remains in hospital in critical condition, according to family.

Their cheer company called the incident, which took place around midnight on Tuesday, "horrific".

Police have arrested Pedro Tello Rodriguez Jr, 25, and charged him with "deadly conduct".

The shooting happened outside of a supermarket in Elgin — about 25 miles from Austin, Texas. Elgin police said they responded to a call at 00:15 local time (05:15 GMT).

"Information suggests that an altercation occurred in the parking lot, and multiple shots were fired into a vehicle," said the police. One victim was treated at the scene, while another was transported to a hospital where "they remain in critical condition".

Members of Ms Washington's cheerleading squad held a prayer vigil on Tuesday night.

Cheerleader Heather Roth said she got out of her friend's car to get into her own vehicle, but mistakenly picked the wrong car. There was a man in the passenger's seat, so she retreated back to her friend's vehicle.

"I see the guy get out of the passenger door. And I rolled my window down, and I was trying to apologise to him.... and he just threw his hands up and he pulled out a gun and he just starting shooting at all of us," she said.

The Woodlands Elite Generals cheerleading team has organized a GoFundMe page for Ms Washington's medical expenses. The campaign description says she was "shot twice and badly injured".

Her father, Keylon Washington, told NBC News that the 18-year-old was in stable but critical condition after being flown by helicopter to a nearby hospital, where doctors removed her spleen.

"Payton's accomplished everything she has with only one lung [from] when she was born. She's as tough as they come," he told the outlet.

The incident is one in a string of shootings this week involving young Americans who are reported to have mistakenly approached the wrong person or home.

In New York state, 20-year-old Kaylin Gillis was shot and killed on Saturday after a friend accidentally drove down the wrong driveway. Last Thursday in Missouri, 16-year-old Ralph Yarl was shot in the head and arm when he rang the doorbell at the wrong address.