Jurors in Travis County did not take long to decide the fate of Lavonta Harrison. Last Thursday, a jury found him guilty of murder in the 2024 shooting that killed 33-year-old Shelby Wayne Cody outside a state building along east U.S. 290 near Calidad Drive. After roughly an hour of deliberation, the guilty verdict came back, and on Friday, a judge sentenced Harrison to 40 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. The case stems from a November 2024 attack that rattled northeast Austin.
Shooting Outside State Offices
According to the Austin Police Department, officers were called shortly before 6 p.m. on Nov. 7, 2024, to the 6400 block of the eastbound service road of U.S. 290. They found Cody suffering from gunshot wounds. He was taken to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. Witnesses told investigators that a silver SUV pulled into the lot, the driver got out, and opened fire without warning. For more details on the initial alert and investigation, see our earlier coverage of the killing.
Arrest And Indictment
Harrison was tracked down and arrested on Nov. 12 by the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force on a parole violation, then charged with first-degree murder the next day, according to FOX 7 Austin. A Travis County grand jury later handed up an indictment on Dec. 31, 2024. Trial coverage reported that witnesses described bystanders stepping in to try to help Cody after the shooting, according to KVUE.
Fast Trial, Short Deliberation
Jury selection started on Monday, and prosecutors began presenting their case the following day. By Thursday, the panel had the case and needed only about an hour to reach a guilty verdict, according to trial reporting. In a statement to KVUE, Travis County District Attorney José Garza said the verdict may help Cody's family in their healing process, and he thanked his staff and law enforcement partners who worked the case. On Friday, the judge ordered Harrison to serve 40 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
Legal Note
During the trial, prosecutors highlighted that Harrison is a convicted felon, which meant he was legally prohibited from having a gun at all. Under Texas law, a person with a felony conviction commits a separate offense if they possess a firearm in most situations. The details of that statute and its penalties are laid out in Texas Penal Code §46.04.
