Man opens fire on teenage girls in Texas after misunderstanding

This news item is part of a tragic series of similar events in the United States, where firearms are ravaging: a black teenager was seriously injured by gunshot last week after knocking on the wrong door of a home in the state of Missouri.

In New York State, a 20-year-old woman was killed on Saturday after being shot after driving by mistake into the driveway of a private home.

In Texas, in the small town of Elgin, it is also a misunderstanding that seems to have triggered a disproportionate reaction against four cheerleaders Tuesday evening, in the parking lot of a supermarket.

Heather Roth, one of the four teenage girls, thought she opened the door of her own car, turning it into another vehicle inside which was a man.

Armed like many Texas residents, he then approached the young women who had been seated in another car.

“I saw the man get out of the passenger side, and I rolled down my window to try to apologize,” Heather Roth told local channel KTRK. “He then raised his gun and started shooting at us.”

Two of the girls were hit by the gunfire, one of them seriously, who had to be airlifted to a hospital.

The alleged shooter, a 25-year-old man named Predo Tello Rodriguez, has been arrested and charged with action causing death, charges that may be clarified soon, Elgin police said.