A man who pistol-whipped and fatally shot a stranger walking with his girlfriend last year in downtown Minneapolis has been sentenced to a term of more than 25 years.

Judge Jeannice Reding on Tuesday's sentenced Varnell D. Allen, 24, of Columbia Heights, fell short of the 30-plus years that the Hennepin County Attorney's Office had been seeking for the killing.

With credit for time in jail since his arrest, Allen will serve about 16½ years in prison and the balance of his term on supervised release.

Allen killed 21-year-old Enzo Herrera-Garcia, of Apple Valley, on Sept. 28, 2019, at the corner of S. 8th Street and S. Hennepin Avenue. The two did not know each other and a motive for the crime remains undisclosed.

Herrera-Garcia and his girlfriend were walking when a car with two men pulled up next to them. The men yelled something out the window, and Herrera-Garcia yelled in return.

The car stopped, and the men got out. Allen pistol-whipped Herrera-Garcia in the head with a handgun before shooting him once in the chest about 10:20 p.m. Allen and cousin Tyler D. Walker fled.

Walker, 22, of Minneapolis, was accused of throwing the first punches before the shooting. He was sentenced in August to a term of almost five years. With credit for time in jail before sentencing, Walker will serve about 2⅔ years in prison and the balance on supervised release.