Thread: Waffle House shooting leaves 4 dead, several injured; nude unman sought

Waffle House shooting leaves 4 dead, several injured; gunman sought

By Katherine Lam, Travis Fedschun | Fox News


At least four dead following Waffle House rampage

Police are still seeking the gunman who killed four and injured several more.


Authorities launched a dragnet for a shooter who gunned down at least four people and injured several others at a Tennessee Waffle House early Sunday before a "hero" patron wrestled the weapon away, police said.

The alleged gunman, Travis Reinking, 29, began shooting at patrons around 3:25 a.m. Sunday at the Waffle House in Antioch, located about 16 miles southeast of downtown Nashville, before fleeing the scene, Metro Nashville police said. Authorities had initially identified Reinking as a person of interest, but later said he was a suspect.

"If you see a nude guy walking around this morning call the police department," Don Aaron of the Metro Nashville Police Department told WTVF.
View image on Twitter

Metro Nashville PD

✔@MNPDNashville

BREAKING: Travis Reinking, 29, of Morton, IL, is person of interest in Waffle House shooting. Vehicle the gunman arrived in is registered to him. Gunman last seen walking south on Murfreesboro Pike. He shed is coat and is nude. See Reinking? Pls call 615-862-8600 immediately.

4:06 AM - Apr 22, 2018

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Aaron said Reinking shot and killed two people outside the restaurant with an assault-type rifle before entering the building and gunning down patrons, killing at least one person. Another individual died at the hospital.


Reinking is accused of going to the Waffle House early Sunday with an assault-type rifle and opening fire. (Metro Nashville Police Department)


No further details about the victims were released.
At least two of the four injured suffered gunshot wounds.

One person is said to be in critical condition and another is in critical but stable condition, FOX17 reported. Aaron said some people at the restaurant had "visible cuts" on their faces due to flying glass when shots were fired.

"The people inside the restaurant were very very shaken. They were in tears," Aaron said. "Some of the folks who didn’t have to be transported [to the hospital] had glass wounds on their faces.”


At least four people were killed in a shooting at a Waffle House in Nashville, Tenn., police said. (AP)


Chuck Cordero told WTVF he saw the gunman pull up to the restaurant in a pickup truck and began shooting. Cordero, who is a regular customer and friends with the employees at the Waffle House, said he was waiting outside because the restaurant was busy and he was waiting for the booth he usually sits in to clear out.

"I showed up tonight and they were a little busy so I stayed in my car. As I got out, this lunatic in a pickup pulled up," Cordero said. "[The gunman] shot a customer going in the door, shot my friend on sidewalk, shot through windows and then went in shooting. He pulled up, got right out; he was prepared to do what he did."


Several people were injured from flying glass after the gunman opened fire outside of the Waffle House. (THE TENNESSEAN)


A 29-year-old patron attempting to flee the gunfire saw the shooter struggling with the rifle at one point. The man charged at the shooter, wrestled the weapon away and tossed it over the restaurant’s counter.

"He is the hero here and no doubt he saved many lives by wrestling the gun away," Aaron said.

Cordero said he also saw a man who "jumped in" as the gunman was reloading the rifle.

"There's a gentleman who was in there that when the guy stopped to reload his gun he jumped him," Cordero recalled.

"Had that guy reloaded, there was plenty of people in that restaurant that would not have made it home this morning."


The suspect in the deadly Waffle House shooting was identified as Travis Reinking. (WTVF)


The patron suffered an elbow injury and other abrasians, though it's unclear if it was a gunshot wound or caused by glass, according to Aaron.

Police initially described the gunman as a man with short hair who was last seen walking on Murfreesboro Pike after the shooting. They added that Reinking allegedly shed his green coat after firing his gun and is nude. Reinking reportedly then ran to a nearby apartment complex, where he lives, and put pants on before fleeing to a wooded area, Aaron said. Several residents in the area reported seeing a naked man in the area.

"A man believed to be Travis Reinking was last seen in a wood line near Discovery at Mountain View Apts. on Mountain Springs Dr. near the Waffle House. The man was seen wearing black pants and no shirt," Nashville police tweeted just after 8 a.m. Sunday.

Metro Nashville PD

✔@MNPDNashville


A man believed to be Travis Reinking was last seen in a wood line near Discovery at Mountain View Apts. on Mountain Springs Dr. near the Waffle House. The man was seen wearing black pants and no shirt.

5:09 AM - Apr 22, 2018

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Authorities identified Reinking as the suspect after finding the vehicle allegedly used by the gunman was registered in that name. Aaron said officials are still gathering information on Reinking, but found that the alleged gunman’s license “goes back to Illinois.” Nashville police checked with authorities in Illinois who said Reinking has a history with firearms in that state.

The motive of the deadly shooting or why Reinking was in Nashville is still unclear.

Pat Warner, Waffle House's director of P.R. and external affairs, said in a statement to Fox News that members of management are at the Nashville location assisting with the incident. He deferred all other questions to the Metro Nashville Police Department.


The motive of the shooting remains unclear. (THE TENNESSEAN)


"We are deeply saddened by this tragic incident. Right now, our first thoughts are with the victims and their families, and we will be there for them in this most difficult time. We are still gathering the details, and so we do not have much information to share," the statement read.

"This is a very sad day for the Waffle House family, and we ask for everyone to keep the victims and their families in their thoughts and prayers," Warner added.

Nashville Mayor David Briley tweeted: "It’s a tragic day for our city anytime people lose their lives at the hands of a gunman. My heart goes out to the families & friends of every person who was killed or wounded in this morning’s shooting. I know all of their lives will be forever changed by this devastating crime."

Mayor David Briley

✔@MayorBriley


It’s a tragic day for our city anytime people lose their lives at the hands of a gunman. My heart goes out to the families & friends of every person who was killed or wounded in this morning’s shooting. I know all of their lives will be forever changed by this devastating crime.

5:31 AM - Apr 22, 2018

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Katherine Lam is a breaking and trending news digital producer for Fox News. Follow her on Twitter at @bykatherinelam

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/04/22...an-sought.html

• BREAKING NEWS
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  Waffle House shooting suspect may have 2 guns, was arrested by Secret Service near White House last year, police say
  
  The man suspected of killing four people in a shooting rampage inside a Waffle House in Nashville may be carrying two guns as he evades police -- and was arrested by Secret Service last year for being in a restricted area near the White House, investigators revealed in a Sunday news conference.
• ​
  More on this
• For more news, please go to FoxNews.com

Unfortunately, things like this will be the norm in the future.
...nothing but a house on sand.

Condolences to the people and families.

Any idea why he wasn't jailed and sent to prison for breaking into the White House grounds last year?

Originally Posted by Judy

Any idea why he wasn't jailed and sent to prison for breaking into the White House grounds last year?

Because he didn't break into the White House grounds.
He was outside the fence and told to leave the area but he didn't leave and said he needed to talk to the president. He wasn't armed and made no threats.

"and was arrested by Secret Service last year for being in a restricted area near the White House, investigators revealed in a Sunday news conference."

(CNN) The man suspected of killing four people at a Waffle House in Nashville on Sunday was previously arrested by the US Secret Service for trespassing and being in a restricted area near the White House, authorities said.


The rifle that Nashville police said the gunman used in the Waffle House shooting on April 22, 2018.

In July 2017, Travis Reinking told a DC Metropolitan officer that he must get into the White House to speak with the President, according to an arrest report. The officer explained that he must get a tour to do that and told Reinking to move away from the pedestrian entrance, but the report states Reinking told the officer again that he had to speak with the President and that he was a "sovereign citizen" who had a right to inspect the grounds.

After telling Reinking to move again, the report states that Reinking took his tie off, balled it into his fist, began approaching the officer and walked past the security barriers.

"Do what you need to do. Arrest me if you have to," Reinking said, according to the report.

Reinking was detained but refused to leave the secured area, so he was arrested and charged with unlawful entry, the report states.

According to court records, Reinking entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with community service on July 26, 2017. On November 17, 2017, the court determined Reinking had successfully completed the program and the case was dismissed.

Shortly after his release, Reinking was interviewed by the FBI in Illinois, where he lived at the time.

Authorities revoked Reinking's firearm authorization and seized four weapons after the interview. One of those weapons was the AR-15 used in Sunday's Waffle House shooting, which killed four people, according to the Metropolitan Nashville Police.

Police later returned the seized weapons to Reinking's father, who gave them back to his son, police said.

Reinking moved to Nashville in 2017 and worked in construction, police said. He had been fired from one job in April and began another construction job on Monday, but didn't show up for work Tuesday.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/22/us/wa...use/index.html

The Latest: Shooting suspect wanted to meet with Trump | The Tribune
www.sanluisobispo.com/news/business/article209575354.html
2 hours ago - A Secret Service agent says a suspect in a fatal Tennessee restaurant shooting who was arrested last July outside the White House had hoped to talk to President Donald Trump. ... Hudson says Reinking tried to cross bike racks near the White House grounds that were part of security barriers. Reinking ...

He should have been put on the list of "no can buy a gun" - other mental history, if not that should have been one.

Originally Posted by artist

He should have been put on the list of "no can buy a gun" - other mental history, if not that should have been one.

It says the Feds "revoked his firearms authorization" and "seized his four guns".
At that point he could no longer legally buy guns, and he didn't.
The Feds gave his guns to his father, who then gave them back to him.

Shortly after his release, Reinking was interviewed by the FBI in Illinois, where he lived at the time.

Authorities revoked Reinking's firearm authorization and seized four weapons after the interview. One of those weapons was the AR-15 used in Sunday's Waffle House shooting, which killed four people, according to the Metropolitan Nashville Police.

Police later returned the seized weapons to Reinking's father, who gave them back to his son, police said.

2 wrongs costs lives today. The gov't giving the guns back to the family & the "enabling family tie". Would think the family would have initiated counseling instead of giving the guns back to him. Would think the govt would have put them in an auction instead. Dysfunctional families' actions maybe need to be charged too.

Naked gunman kills four in Nashville Waffle House

4/22/18

A nude gunman has killed four people at a Waffle House in Nashville in the US state of Tennessee, police say.The man burst into the restaurant at 03:25 (08:25 GMT) in the suburb of Antioch and opened fire with a semi-automatic rifle.
Two other people were wounded. One of them wrestled the weapon from the man, who then fled the scene on foot.
Police are hunting for the suspect, whom they identified as Travis Reinking, 29, from Illinois.

He was arrested last year after entering a restricted area near the White House, Nashville police spokesman Don Aaron said.

James Shaw Jr, the customer credited with saving lives by seizing the gun from the killer, has told US media he does not feel like a hero because "it feels selfish".
How did the attack unfold?

Arriving in a pick-up truck, the killer shot two people outside the restaurant, before firing more shots inside, Mr Aaron said.

Three victims died at the scene and the fourth in hospital.

Police say he was naked except for a green jacket, which he shed as he left the scene.

The suspect was later spotted in woodland wearing black trousers but no shirt, police say.

Police released a photo of the rifle taken from him in the restaurant, which appears to be an AR-15, a weapon commonly used by mass shooters in the US.

Similar rifles were used in the Las Vegas shooting last October that killed 58 people, and the Florida school attack in February that left 17 students and staff dead.

Debate over gun control intensified following the Florida shooting, with mass protests and school walkouts across the country demanding stricter legislation in recent weeks.

How did Mr Shaw intervene?

At a press conference on Sunday, Mr Shaw said he had heard gunshots and glass smashing as people ran for cover.

He then hid in the restaurant's toilet area but the gunman shot through the door, injuring his arm.

"It was at that time that I kind of made up my mind - because there's no way to lock that door - that if it was going to come down to it he was gonna have to work to kill me," he said.
When the firing stopped and the gunman was looking at his weapon, Mr Shaw rushed him and a scuffle ensued.

"I hit him with the door and the gun was kind of jammed up," he said. "I grabbed it from him and I threw it over the counter top."
He then forced the gunman out of the restaurant.

Waffle House CEO Walth Ehmer praised Mr Shaw's actions and hugged him after the press conference.
"You don't get to meet too many heroes in life but you are my hero," he said.
While being treated in hospital for his injury, Mr Shaw was told by a girl that he had saved her life.
I didn't do it to be [a] hero," Mr Shaw told The Tennessean.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-43855097