Richardson police said evidence was insufficient to move forward against three teenagers arrested after the March shooting that left an 18-year-old paralyzed.
RICHARDSON, TX — Richardson police have dropped charges against three teenagers arrested in connection with a March shooting outside a Waffle House that left 18-year-old Seth Jackson paralyzed, while authorities have yet to identify or arrest the person who shot him.
The decision marks a major change in an investigation that initially resulted in three arrests and expectations of additional arrests. Police said additional information developed during the investigation and detectives did not gather enough evidence to move forward with charges against the three teenagers. Authorities said the unresolved case could become active again if investigators receive new evidence or leads.
Taylor Griffin, 18, and Charles Webster, 17, both of Anna, were arrested March 26, one week after the shooting. Both had been charged with engaging in organized criminal activity. A third teenager, whose identity was withheld because the suspect was a juvenile, was later arrested and charged with deadly conduct. Police have now dropped the charges against all three.
The shooting happened March 19 in the parking lot of a Waffle House at 120 W. Spring Valley Road in Richardson. Police initially said investigators believed a conflict between two groups escalated when multiple people drew handguns and opened fire. Jackson, a Richardson High School student, was struck during the gunfire and was hospitalized.
Police said when announcing Griffin and Webster’s arrests in March that investigators believed the two participated in events leading up to and during the shooting. At the time, authorities said the investigation was continuing and additional arrests were anticipated. Police later announced the juvenile’s arrest and released surveillance images of five people they wanted to identify as part of the investigation.
According to court records reported by FOX 4, a crowd of roughly 50 to 100 people gathered at the Waffle House after police in Dallas broke up a party. An argument and physical confrontation followed before several people displayed guns and shots were fired. Court records said Jackson was trying to help a friend when he was shot.
Jackson was left paralyzed from the waist down. His father, James Jackson, told FOX 4 earlier in the investigation that his son had been accepted to the University of Houston and had planned to attend in the fall. The family was preparing to make changes to its home to accommodate his injuries.
Investigators faced difficulties identifying people involved in the confrontation and determining who fired the shot that struck Jackson. Police previously said witnesses and other people at the scene left before officers arrived, potentially taking cellphone video or other information that could help investigators reconstruct what happened.
Richardson police said detectives continued interviewing witnesses and people of interest for several months. The department said the evidence developed during that work was not enough to proceed with charges against Griffin, Webster or the juvenile. Dropping those charges does not identify who shot Jackson, and police have not announced an arrest of a suspected shooter.
The investigation is now unresolved. Police have said that without new evidence or leads to pursue, the case is no longer active, but it is not considered closed. Investigators could resume work if a witness cooperates or new evidence emerges that gives detectives another lead to pursue.
Author note: Last updated Sept. 26, 2026.