ANTIOCH, Tenn. (AP) — A nearly naked gunman wearing only a green jacket and brandishing an assault rifle stormed a Waffle House restaurant near Nashville early Sunday, shooting four people to death and injuring four others before a customer rushed him and wrestled the weapon away.
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| Travis Reinking |
The 29-year-old suspect, Travis Reinking, who they said drove to the busy restaurant and killed two people in the parking lot before entering and continuing to fire. When his AR-15 rifle either jammed or the clip was empty, 29 year old James Shaw Jr disarmed him in a scuffle. They cursed at each other as they scuffled, Shaw said, and he was able to grab the gun and toss it over a counter. The gunman then ran away into the dark of the working- and middle-class Antioch neighborhood of southeast Nashville. Witnesses stated that Reinking returned to the crime scene after going back to his apartment, which was in the nearby area.
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James Shaw Jr. |
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| The dead were identified as 29-year-old restaurant worker Taurean C. Sanderlin, and restaurant patrons Joe R. Perez, 20, Akilah Dasilva, 23, and Deebony Groves, 21. A police statement said Sanderlin and Perez were killed outside the restaurant, Groves was fatally shot inside, and Dasilva was critically wounded inside and later died at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. |
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| Bullet holes are seen at a Waffle House after a fatal shooting in the Antioch neighborhood of Nashville, Sunday, April 22, 2018. (George Walker IV/The Tennessean via AP) The media is making sure to note how Reinking clearly has mental issues as authorities continue to try to locate him. U.S. Secret Service agents arrested Reinking last July for being in a restricted area near the White House, officials said. Special Agent Todd Hudson said Reinking was detained after refusing to leave the restricted area, saying he wanted to meet President Donald Trump. State police in Illinois, where Reinking lived until last fall, subsequently revoked his state firearms card at the request of the FBI and four guns were then taken from him, including the AR-15 used in Sunday’s shooting as well as a handgun, authorities said. Sheriff Robert Huston in Tazewell County, Illinois, said deputies allowed Reinking’s father to take possession of the guns on the promise that he would “keep the weapons secure and out of the possession of Travis.” The father has confirmed that he did return the guns at some point. The suspect is currently still on the run and is said to be armed. |