Family of victim killed outside Waffle House sets up GoFundMe
AUSTIN, Texas - The sister of a man who was murdered Saturday near a Waffle House off 290 is speaking out to Fox 7 Austin.
Jennae Ramey, the sister of Mario Robinson, said when she found out the news, at first, she thought her father had died. "I woke up to a text and all it said was 'Mario is dead," she said.
Ramey said her father's name is also Mario, so she immediately called him. But, when he picked up, she thought everything was okay. Then, she realized it was her brother. "I was like, 'Oh, my God, my brother's gone.' And it was just a whole different type of feeling," she said.
Police say Robinson and his friends were waiting for their food when an SUV pulled up and began to rob the group. The group did not resist.
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"There's no reason for the gun to go off," Ramey said. "He already gave him everything he had in his wallet. Like, the whole situation was just nonsense to us."
As they were driving away, Robinson was shot; Ramey says in the back, the bullet going through the chest. His friends drove to a nearby neighborhood and called the police. Austin-Travis County EMS attempted life-saving measures, but Robinson did not survive.
"I am just purely angry. There was no reason for any of this," Ramey said.
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Ramey said Robinson was her protector, adding he was always there for her. "Mario was the male version of me and it's so weird to have him gone, because I don't have my mirror with me," she said.
She said growing up, she always wanted to hang around her older brother, because it was the "cool" thing to do. Now, she says as she's older, she feels as if she is losing the part where siblings become even closer. "I feel like I was just robbed from the opportunity of getting to know my brother more as a person now that we're growing up," she said.
However, she said the memories she does have like going to Pluckers, coming in and seeing him and their older brother Charles on the couch - little moments like that will always remind her of the amazing person he was.
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"He made people smile, he made people laugh, he brought nothing but positivity to those around him," Ramey said, adding that she knows that he lived a good life.
"That boy lived every single day like it was his last day," Ramey said. "So, we just know he lived a good life even if it was cut short."
The family has set up a GoFundMe to help with funeral costs.