Suspect Sought After Fatal Shooting Outside Austin Waffle House

WEST AUSTIN, TX — Police are seeking a suspect in connection to a fatal shooting outside a West Austin Waffle House that left a young man dead over the weekend, officials said Monday.

The incident occurred on Saturday just after 4:30 a.m. outside the Waffle House restaurant at 8800 E. Highway 290, according to a police advisory. Police responded after being alerted to a caller about an injured man along the 9200 block of Happy Trail.

Upon arrival, officers found Mario Robinson, 23, with life-threatening injures. Despite life-saving measures by medics, Robinson succumbed to his wounds before being pronounced dead at 4:47 a.m.

In the course of their investigation, police said, detectives learned a group of friends who had been at a local bar headed to the Waffle House. Members of the group ordered food before returning to their vehicles to wait for their meals to be ready, police wrote in their report. An SUV polled up alongside before two men — one armed with a rifle, the other with a handgun — exited the vehicle while demanding the group's belongings, according to police.

The victims offered no resistance, but one of the members of the group attempted to drive off. The rifle-wielding suspect then shot his weapon into the fleeing vehicle before striking Robinson, who as a passenger in the car that was fired upon, police said. The man's friends had driven to the neighboring street to wait for emergency personnel to arrive.

A $1,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest of the suspect, according to police. Detectives urge anyone with information or cell phone footage of the incident to call homicide detectives at (512) 974-TIPS; the Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at (512) 472-8477 (TIPS), or use the new Crime Stoppers App, or email APD Homicide at homicide.apd@austintexas.gov.

Police stressed that those submitting tips have the option of remaining anonymous. Tips also can be submitted by downloading the police department's mobile app, Austin PD, free on iPhone and Android.

Mario Robinson, 23, was waiting for breakfast after hanging out with friends before a suspect fired at a car in which he was a passenger.

Robinson's family issued a statement expressing their grief over the young man's death: "Mario Andretti Robinson II, born on April 24, 1997, was beloved by all his family and friends and remembered most by his wonderful smile. He had a unique charm and charisma that welcomed anyone he met. Mario lived in San Antonio / Universal City with family where he played football for James Madison H.S. and later graduated from Samuel Clemens H.S. He loved sports cars, fashion, professional racing and his hobbies included video games, skateboarding, and spending time with family. He is deeply missed and our families are broken without him."