ARAPAHOE COUNTY, Colo. — A 30-year-old man has been sentenced to more than a decade in prison for shooting and seriously injuring a Waffle House cook in 2020.
Kelvin Watson pleaded guilty to attempted second-degree murder and committing a violent crime with a weapon, a sentence-enhancing charge. An Arapahoe County District Court judge sentenced Watson to 13 years in prison and three years of parole after he is released from prison.
> The video above aired May 22, 2020: Man formally charged in Aurora Waffle House shooting case
According to a news release from the 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office, Watson went to the Waffle House on East Mississippi Avenue near Interstate 225 on the night of May 14, 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He went inside the restaurant to place an order but was not wearing a mask and was asked to leave by staff, the DA's office said.
A waitress told investigators Watson left the Waffle House and returned with a mask but would not wear it, the DA's office said. Staff asked Watson to leave again and that's when, according to the waitress, Watson pulled a gun and threatened to shoot the cook.
Watson eventually left, and the incident was reported to Aurora Police that morning, the DA's office said.
Just after midnight May 15, police were called to the Waffle House for a shooting. When officers arrived, they found the cook, who had been threatened the day prior, shot in stomach.
The cook told police that Watson was the shooter, the DA's office said. Waffle House staff also told investigators that Watson was a regular at the restaurant.
“While restaurants and stores are public places, businesses have the right to refuse service or ask customers to leave their establishment,” said District Attorney John Kellner. “The defendant drove back to the restaurant and shot an innocent employee for no reason other than doing his job.”
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