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Waffle House shooting: Authorities seized suspect’s AR-15 after arrest near White House last year
By Kristine Phillips
April 22 at 6:28 PM ET
Police reported a naked gunman opened fire at a Waffle House near Nashville on April 22, killing four people and injuring several others. (Reuters)
Months before Travis Reinking became the target of a manhunt in Tennessee for a shooting rampage that killed four people, he tried to go to the White House to meet with President Trump.
Reinking, federal officials say, tried to cross a security barrier at the White House complex — an incident that resulted in his arrest and later led to the confiscation of his guns and revocation of his firearms license in Illinois, his home state. But the weapons, all four of them, would end up back in Reinking’s possession after authorities returned them to his father, officials said.
Early on Sunday morning, armed with one of those weapons, an AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle — and wearing nothing but a green jacket — Reinking opened fire at a Waffle House restaurant near Nashville, police said. Four people were killed and several others were injured. The suspect, wanted for murder and feared to be armed, has not been found.
The shooting rattled the working-class neighborhood in Antioch, Tenn., just months after a masked gunman opened fire at a church there, killing one woman and wounding several others. It also comes at a time of intensified debate over guns and a swirling controversy about the AR-15, a type of weapon used in many major mass shootings recently and dubbed “America’s rifle” by the National Rifle Association.
As the frantic search for Reinking continued Sunday, law enforcement and local leaders are, again, confronted with questions about gun control and people’s right to legally own guns.
Travis Reinking, 29, of Morton, Ill., is shown in this undated photo obtained April 22, 2018. Police said Reinking shot and killed four people at a Waffle House restaurant near Nashville. (Tennessee Bureau of Investigation via Reuters)
“You balance the rights of people to have this privacy, but on the other hand, there needs to be a coordinated effort, especially in terms of mental health issues, to make sure that weapons don’t fall into their hands,” Metro Nashville Police Chief Steve Anderson told reporters at a news conference Sunday, adding that police suspect psychological issues may have played a role in the shooting, though the motive remains unknown.
“He’s murdered four times with no apparent reason and no apparent motive,” Anderson said. “So we’re very concerned.”
Nashville Mayor David Briley (D) seized on the moment to renew calls for stricter gun laws.
“For a moment, let’s be honest about what happened. Last night, innocent Nashvillians were terrorized by a man with an AR-15. Let’s be honest. Some people see these weapons as having a purpose of terrorizing other people. It’s happening too much,” Briley said.
The rampage began just before 3:30 a.m. Reinking sat in his pickup truck, looking around, for a few minutes before he got out and immediately began shooting at customers at the parking lot, police spokesman Don Aaron said. He kept shooting as he walked inside, shattering the restaurant’s glass windows. At one point, he stopped, presumably to reload. That’s when police said a customer, James Shaw Jr., lunged at Reinking, wrestled the weapon away from him and tossed it over the counter.
Shaw said he grabbed the rifle’s barrel, which was still hot, and pulled the weapon away.
“You have to reach or you’re going to fold … That’s all I wanted to do, I just wanted to live,” a teary Shaw Jr. told reporters.
Reinking then ran away, cursing as he did so, according to Shaw. Police said he took off the only article of clothing he was wearing less than a block from the restaurant. Two magazines were found in the jacket’s pocket.
“He clearly came armed with a lot of firepower intended to devastate the south Nashville area,” Aaron said.
Investigators believe Reinking went to his apartment, located less than a mile away, put on a pair of pants and left. He was last seen in a wooded area near the apartment complex wearing only black pants, Aaron said.
A total of six people were shot. Two remain in critical condition at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, hospital spokeswoman Jennifer Wetzel said. TriStar Southern Hills Medical Center treated two other people who suffered minor injuries from the shooting. Hospital spokeswoman Katie Radel said the two had been released and she can’t say how they were injured.
Police said Reinking, a 29-year-old from Morton, Ill., moved to the area last fall and worked in the construction industry. He was fired from a job about three weeks ago, and was later hired by another employer, Aaron said. Reinking had not been to work since last Monday.
Reinking was arrested on July 7, 2017 near the White House and was charged in D.C. Superior Court with unlawful entry, a misdemeanor, according to officials. Federal agents interviewed Reinking and those who knew him. Officials said he did not make any threats and while investigators saw him as someone with mental health issues, there was not much evidence at the time that he posed a danger to the public.
On July 26, Reinking entered into a deferred-prosecution agreement with the U.S. attorney’s office. He was ordered to do 32 hours of community service and to stay away from the White House for four months. The case against him was dismissed in November after Reinking met the conditions of the agreement.
After an investigation by the FBI office in Springfield, Ill., state and local officials confiscated Reinking’s guns and revoked his firearm license, officials said. The guns, however, were later returned to Reinking’s father, who gave the weapons back to his son. Two of those weapons, a long gun and a handgun, remain missing after police searched Reinking’s apartment.
Under Illinois law, the guns can be released to a family member, but Reinking could not lawfully possess the weapons in that state, Anderson, the police chief, said. It’s unclear if possessing the weapons was illegal in Tennessee.
A relative of Reinking’s said the family has no comment.
James Shaw Jr. described how he disarmed a gunman who opened fire at a Waffle House near Nashville April 22 and killed four people. (Reuters)
By Sunday afternoon, the usually quiet and sleepy gated apartment community was surrounded with nearly two dozen police cars, SWAT vans and other emergency vehicles.
Resident Dion Jones, who lives one building away from Reinking, said he never encountered him. He said he and his wife have lived at Discovery Mountain View apartments for nearly two years.
“Everyone comes and goes at different times and we just kind of keep to ourselves,” he said. “I specifically picked this apartment out of all the ones in Nashville because it was gated and seemed quiet.”
Jones, a regular at the nearby Waffle House, said he’s worried for the employees whom he’d befriended on late-night trips there.
Other residents remain on edge.
“I just don’t even know what to say because it’s like these shootings happen all the time anymore but one in your area, at a restaurant you’ve ate at, is a different thing,” said Alexis Reid.
Phillip Simmons said he’s disturbed by the thought of a loose gunman wandering around.
“I’ve got kids in the area and the thought that they could have been there, and the fact that the cops haven’t found this guy who is armed … I don’t even know how to deal with it,” he said. “What can I do? What can anyone do about this stuff?”
Among the victims who died was 29-year-old Taurean C. Sanderlin, of Goodlettsville, Tenn., an employee at the Waffle House who was fatally shot as he was standing outside. The others were customers: Joe R. Perez, 20, of Nashville; Deebony Groves, 21, of Gallatin, Tenn.; and Akilah Dasilva, 23, of Antioch.
Two others, Shanita Waggoner, 21, of Nashville, and Sharita Henderson, 24, of Antioch, remain hospitalized.
Shaw, the customer who police say disarmed Reinking, hardly sees himself as a hero.
“I want people to know that I did that completely out of a selfish act,” said Shaw, who was treated at a hospital after a bullet grazed his elbow. “I was completely doing it just to save myself … I did save other people, but I don’t want people to think that I was the Terminator or Superman or anybody like that.”
Others disagree.
“You’re a hero. You’re my hero … We’re forever in your debt,” Waffle House president and chief executive Walt Ehmer told Shaw.
Sarah Grace Taylor in Antioch, Tenn. and Devlin Barrett in Washington contributed to this story.
Read more:
Masked gunman rampages through Nashville church; usher uses personal weapon to subdue shooter
He fired a shotgun into a classroom door, police say, then said ‘sorry’ to the injured student
More than 208,000 students have experienced gun violence at school since Columbine
Kristine Phillips is a member of The Washington Post's general assignment team. She previously covered criminal justice, courts and legal affairs at the Indianapolis Star.
Democracy Dies in Darkness
Waffle House shooting: Authorities seized suspect’s AR-15 after arrest near White House last year
By Kristine Phillips
April 22 at 6:28 PM ET
Police reported a naked gunman opened fire at a Waffle House near Nashville on April 22, killing four people and injuring several others. (Reuters)
Months before Travis Reinking became the target of a manhunt in Tennessee for a shooting rampage that killed four people, he tried to go to the White House to meet with President Trump.
Reinking, federal officials say, tried to cross a security barrier at the White House complex — an incident that resulted in his arrest and later led to the confiscation of his guns and revocation of his firearms license in Illinois, his home state. But the weapons, all four of them, would end up back in Reinking’s possession after authorities returned them to his father, officials said.
Early on Sunday morning, armed with one of those weapons, an AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle — and wearing nothing but a green jacket — Reinking opened fire at a Waffle House restaurant near Nashville, police said. Four people were killed and several others were injured. The suspect, wanted for murder and feared to be armed, has not been found.
The shooting rattled the working-class neighborhood in Antioch, Tenn., just months after a masked gunman opened fire at a church there, killing one woman and wounding several others. It also comes at a time of intensified debate over guns and a swirling controversy about the AR-15, a type of weapon used in many major mass shootings recently and dubbed “America’s rifle” by the National Rifle Association.
As the frantic search for Reinking continued Sunday, law enforcement and local leaders are, again, confronted with questions about gun control and people’s right to legally own guns.
Travis Reinking, 29, of Morton, Ill., is shown in this undated photo obtained April 22, 2018. Police said Reinking shot and killed four people at a Waffle House restaurant near Nashville. (Tennessee Bureau of Investigation via Reuters)
“You balance the rights of people to have this privacy, but on the other hand, there needs to be a coordinated effort, especially in terms of mental health issues, to make sure that weapons don’t fall into their hands,” Metro Nashville Police Chief Steve Anderson told reporters at a news conference Sunday, adding that police suspect psychological issues may have played a role in the shooting, though the motive remains unknown.
“He’s murdered four times with no apparent reason and no apparent motive,” Anderson said. “So we’re very concerned.”
Nashville Mayor David Briley (D) seized on the moment to renew calls for stricter gun laws.
“For a moment, let’s be honest about what happened. Last night, innocent Nashvillians were terrorized by a man with an AR-15. Let’s be honest. Some people see these weapons as having a purpose of terrorizing other people. It’s happening too much,” Briley said.
The rampage began just before 3:30 a.m. Reinking sat in his pickup truck, looking around, for a few minutes before he got out and immediately began shooting at customers at the parking lot, police spokesman Don Aaron said. He kept shooting as he walked inside, shattering the restaurant’s glass windows. At one point, he stopped, presumably to reload. That’s when police said a customer, James Shaw Jr., lunged at Reinking, wrestled the weapon away from him and tossed it over the counter.
Shaw said he grabbed the rifle’s barrel, which was still hot, and pulled the weapon away.
“You have to reach or you’re going to fold … That’s all I wanted to do, I just wanted to live,” a teary Shaw Jr. told reporters.
Reinking then ran away, cursing as he did so, according to Shaw. Police said he took off the only article of clothing he was wearing less than a block from the restaurant. Two magazines were found in the jacket’s pocket.
“He clearly came armed with a lot of firepower intended to devastate the south Nashville area,” Aaron said.
Investigators believe Reinking went to his apartment, located less than a mile away, put on a pair of pants and left. He was last seen in a wooded area near the apartment complex wearing only black pants, Aaron said.
A total of six people were shot. Two remain in critical condition at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, hospital spokeswoman Jennifer Wetzel said. TriStar Southern Hills Medical Center treated two other people who suffered minor injuries from the shooting. Hospital spokeswoman Katie Radel said the two had been released and she can’t say how they were injured.
Police said Reinking, a 29-year-old from Morton, Ill., moved to the area last fall and worked in the construction industry. He was fired from a job about three weeks ago, and was later hired by another employer, Aaron said. Reinking had not been to work since last Monday.
Reinking was arrested on July 7, 2017 near the White House and was charged in D.C. Superior Court with unlawful entry, a misdemeanor, according to officials. Federal agents interviewed Reinking and those who knew him. Officials said he did not make any threats and while investigators saw him as someone with mental health issues, there was not much evidence at the time that he posed a danger to the public.
On July 26, Reinking entered into a deferred-prosecution agreement with the U.S. attorney’s office. He was ordered to do 32 hours of community service and to stay away from the White House for four months. The case against him was dismissed in November after Reinking met the conditions of the agreement.
After an investigation by the FBI office in Springfield, Ill., state and local officials confiscated Reinking’s guns and revoked his firearm license, officials said. The guns, however, were later returned to Reinking’s father, who gave the weapons back to his son. Two of those weapons, a long gun and a handgun, remain missing after police searched Reinking’s apartment.
Under Illinois law, the guns can be released to a family member, but Reinking could not lawfully possess the weapons in that state, Anderson, the police chief, said. It’s unclear if possessing the weapons was illegal in Tennessee.
A relative of Reinking’s said the family has no comment.
James Shaw Jr. described how he disarmed a gunman who opened fire at a Waffle House near Nashville April 22 and killed four people. (Reuters)
By Sunday afternoon, the usually quiet and sleepy gated apartment community was surrounded with nearly two dozen police cars, SWAT vans and other emergency vehicles.
Resident Dion Jones, who lives one building away from Reinking, said he never encountered him. He said he and his wife have lived at Discovery Mountain View apartments for nearly two years.
“Everyone comes and goes at different times and we just kind of keep to ourselves,” he said. “I specifically picked this apartment out of all the ones in Nashville because it was gated and seemed quiet.”
Jones, a regular at the nearby Waffle House, said he’s worried for the employees whom he’d befriended on late-night trips there.
Other residents remain on edge.
“I just don’t even know what to say because it’s like these shootings happen all the time anymore but one in your area, at a restaurant you’ve ate at, is a different thing,” said Alexis Reid.
Phillip Simmons said he’s disturbed by the thought of a loose gunman wandering around.
“I’ve got kids in the area and the thought that they could have been there, and the fact that the cops haven’t found this guy who is armed … I don’t even know how to deal with it,” he said. “What can I do? What can anyone do about this stuff?”
Among the victims who died was 29-year-old Taurean C. Sanderlin, of Goodlettsville, Tenn., an employee at the Waffle House who was fatally shot as he was standing outside. The others were customers: Joe R. Perez, 20, of Nashville; Deebony Groves, 21, of Gallatin, Tenn.; and Akilah Dasilva, 23, of Antioch.
Two others, Shanita Waggoner, 21, of Nashville, and Sharita Henderson, 24, of Antioch, remain hospitalized.
Shaw, the customer who police say disarmed Reinking, hardly sees himself as a hero.
“I want people to know that I did that completely out of a selfish act,” said Shaw, who was treated at a hospital after a bullet grazed his elbow. “I was completely doing it just to save myself … I did save other people, but I don’t want people to think that I was the Terminator or Superman or anybody like that.”
Others disagree.
“You’re a hero. You’re my hero … We’re forever in your debt,” Waffle House president and chief executive Walt Ehmer told Shaw.
Sarah Grace Taylor in Antioch, Tenn. and Devlin Barrett in Washington contributed to this story.
Read more:
Masked gunman rampages through Nashville church; usher uses personal weapon to subdue shooter
He fired a shotgun into a classroom door, police say, then said ‘sorry’ to the injured student
More than 208,000 students have experienced gun violence at school since Columbine
Kristine Phillips is a member of The Washington Post's general assignment team. She previously covered criminal justice, courts and legal affairs at the Indianapolis Star.
Democracy Dies in Darkness
