A man who shot a Waffle House cook who refused to serve him after he wouldn't wear a mask in the very early days of the COVID-19 pandemic was sentenced to 13 years in prison.
Kelvin Watson, 30, pleaded guilty to attempted second-degree murder after the shooting in Aurora in May 2020. The cook survived the single gunshot wound and had some broken ribs.
Watson showed up at the restaurant around midnight on May 14, 2020, according to Arapahoe County prosecutors. He went into the restaurant without a mask and was told by a server that he needed to have a mask on or he wouldn't be served.
A server told police that Watson left the restaurant and returned with a mask, but refused to put it on. He was asked to leave again and he pulled out a gun and threatened to shoot the cook. He ultimately left and they reported it to police.
Watson then returned to the restaurant the next day, at around midnight, and shot the same cook who was working the same shift the night before.
The cook identified Watson as a restaurant regular, officials said.
Watson could serve up to 13 years in the Department of Corrections and will have mandatory parole after that.
