Man sentenced to 10 years in connection with deadly Waffle House shooting

The 390th District Court in Travis County sentenced a man to 10 years in prison in connection to a deadly shooting at a Waffle House that happened in November 2020.

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The 390th District Court in Travis County sentenced a man to 10 years in prison in connection to a deadly shooting at a Waffle House that happened in November 2020.

Jalen Highsmith entered his guilty plea and was sentenced Feb. 13, according to court documents.

Highsmith was one of two men involved in the shooting after they both attempted to rob a vehicle in the Waffle House parking lot, located at 8800 E. U.S. 290.

According to police, the two pulled up next to a group of friends in two separate cars and demanded their belongings at gunpoint while they were both holding firearms.

The group didn’t resist, but one of the drivers tried to drive away, and one of the men fired into the vehicle, hitting Mario Robinson, 23. He died at the scene, according to police.

One of the men was later identified as Highsmith. He was originally charged with capital murder; however, court documents state his guilty plea was for aggravated robbery.

If Highsmith serves his sentence in a county jail or is given credit toward fines and costs, he could receive up to 1,153 days of jail credit, according to court documents.