Waffle House Shooting Suspect Had Guns Returned Before Tragedy

ANTIOCH, TN — An Illinois man still at large a day after police believe he opened fire at a Waffle House near Nashville, Tennessee, may still be in possession of a firearm, Metro Nashville Police Department spokesman Don Aaron said. Police said Travis Reinking of Morton, Illinois, is a person of interest in the early Sunday morning shooting. Reinking was arrested last July for unlawful entry at the White House. A year before the White House incident, Reinking reportedly told police in Illinois he believed singer Taylor Swift was stalking him.

Secret Service spokesman Todd Hudson said the Waffle House shooting suspect was "up near the White House grounds" near some bike racks when he crossed a barrier. He wanted to "set up a meeting with the president," Hudson said. Reinking refused when asked to leave and was then arrested for unlawful entry, the FBI said.

Who Is Travis Reinking: 5 Things To Know About Waffle House Suspect

Reinking was interviewed by the FBI and Tazewell County authorities after that incident, and his Illinois firearm owners ID card was revoked.

A spokesman for the FBI said "investigative steps" were taken after Reinking was arrested at the White House, saying federal authorities coordinated with police in Tazewell County and Illinois State Police. Aaron said four weapons, including the AR-15 used in the Waffle House shooting, were to be taken from Reinking at the FBI's request after he was arrested by the Secret Service.

Tazewell County Sheriff Robert M. Huston said Reinking agreed to surrender the four guns after the White House incident but his father, who was present when deputies came to confiscate them, asked if he could keep them since he had a valid FOID card. Huston told the Tennessean deputies gave Reinking's father the guns, and authorities in Illinois and Tennessee believe the father eventually gave the weapons back to the suspected shooter.

Two of the guns, including the AR-15, were recovered shortly after the shooting. Aaron initially said authorities believed Reinking could still be in possession of the two remaining firearms, a hunting-type rifle and a pistol. Later in the day, police said on Facebook that all but one gun, a pistol, had been found.

The Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) said the Waffle House gunman was nude except for a green jacket when he began shooting outside the restaurant at around 3:25 a.m. Police said he killed two people outside the Antioch, Tennessee, Waffle House before shooting out the large glass windows and going inside, where he continued firing.

MNPD said a Waffle House customer wrestled the rifle — which they described as "an assault-type rifle" — away from the gunman and threw it over a counter. Police said the shooter then took off his jacket and fled, naked, from the restaurant.

The customer, dubbed a hero by police and identified as James Shaw Jr., 29, suffered abrasions to his elbow. After being released from the hospital early Sunday, Shaw told The Tennessean he felt "selfish," saying he was trying to save his own life and that he didn't really feel like a hero."When he came in, I distinctively remember thinking that he is going to have to work for this kill," he said. "I had a chance to stop him and thankfully I stopped him. ... I grabbed the gun and kept it down. He had one hand on it. I pulled it away and threw it over the bar."

Shaw, father of a 4-year-old daughter, waited for the gunman to flee, then ran outside to flag down drivers, asking them to call 911.

"I figured if I was going to die, he was going to have to work for it," Shaw said during a press conference, calling what he did a "selfish act" motivated by the desire to survive and adding, "I don't want to give anybody the impression that I'm the Terminator or Superman."

He said Reinking swore at him as he tried to wrestle the gun away. "He was kind of cussing, acting like I was in the wrong for trying to save my life," Shaw said. "When I saw his face when he walked in, he was just staring at us ... I don't know what that look is, it was just like a (blank) look."

Metro Nashville Mayor David Briley praised Shaw.

"He saved lives, that is certain," Briley said, adding that Shaw "reacted with courage."

Police said the vehicle used by the gunman is registered to Reinking, 29, of Morton, located in Tazewell County near Peoria. Police also retrieved an Illinois driver's license belonging to Reinking.

Waffle House Shooting Victims Identified

Tazewell County court records show Reinking had a string of traffic tickets between 2005 and 2013, but no arrests for violent crimes. At around 10:45 a.m. Central time, MNPD said murder warrants were being drafted against Reinking.

Who is Travis Reinking?

In May 2016, police in Tazewell County said they responded to a call from Reinking's family saying they were worried about him and that he'd made suicidal threats. Deputies who arrived were told by family that Reinking had been suffering from delusions since summer 2014. Reinking told deputies that Taylor Swift was stalking him and had hacked his phone and Netflix account, according to NewsChannel 5 Nashville.

He also had several other run-ins with police in Tazewell County, including an incident in which he jumped into a pool wearing underwear and a woman's house coat, according to police reports obtained by NewsChannel 5.

More recently, Reinking rented an apartment in Antioch, according to authorities. The FBI was reportedly at his family home in Morton on Sunday.

Aaron said Reinking was fired from his previous job three weeks ago but started a new job last week. His current employer told police Reinking started the job on Monday but never returned to work after that and had not been heard from since.

Neighbors of the Reinking family told the Peoria JournalStar they were shocked at the allegations against him, describing him as a "hard worker" from a "good Christian home." Resident Bill Keopnic recalled Reinking as a kind person, saying he worked for his father's heavy crane company and was a good mechanic.

Roland McDuff, who lives across the street from the family, suggested violent video games may have played a role. "He got into those dark games and that might have twisted his mind,” he said.

A Facebook page apparently belonging to Reinking appeared to have been removed as of Sunday morning but was back online by early afternoon. The most recent post on the page was a link to a video that has since been removed from YouTube for "violating YouTube's policy on harassment and bullying." Reinking posted the link in March 2017 with the note, "The illuminati is real."

Manhunt continues

After the shooting, the gunman was seen walking south on Murfreesboro Pike. At around 7 a.m., MNPD said a man believed to be Reinking was spotted in a wooded area near an apartment complex not far from the Waffle House. By then, the man was wearing a pair of black pants and no shirt, according to police.

Authorities were advising residents in Antioch and Nashville to keep their doors locked. As nearly 3 p.m. Sunday, MNPD said Reinking was still at large.

MNPD Chief Steve Anderson said Reinking was shirtless, barefoot and wearing only a pair of pants when he was last spotted. He said unless a vehicle picked him up, he is likely hiding in the woods or may have taken refuge in a home or building. Anderson said police have been going door-to-door in Antioch searching for Reinking and said the suspect may have "some mental issues."

Monday morning, MNPD tweeted, "MNPD officers, to include SWAT, have continued the search for Travis Reinking in the Antioch area overnight. There have been no credible sightings. The search will continue. All schools in the area have been cleared by officers." Police said the last sighting of Reinking was behind his apartment complex on Sunday morning.

Three people died at the scene of the shooting and a fourth died after being taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, according to Antioch Patch. Police said a total of six people were shot.

Waffle House issued a statement in the wake of the shooting and said restaurant executives were en route from Atlanta to Nashville.

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. While this is an active investigation, we defer all questions about the incident to the Metro Police in Nashville. Our Senior Vice President, Area Vice President, Division Manager and other members of management are on site now to assist in any way they can. We also have a corporate team on the way from Atlanta. 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.

Briley said it was a "tragic day" for the city. "There's clearly more to be said about these circumstances, but for now I ask Nashville to pray for and rally around these victims and join me in thanking the Metro Nashville Police Department as it works to find and apprehend the shooter," he said in a statement.

Another tragedy for Antioch

Sunday's shooting is not the first mass shooting in Antioch or even the only one in recent memory. Last September, a gunman opened fire at a church less than two miles from the Waffle House, killing one person and wounding seven others. A 22-year-old church usher is credited with helping stop the attack after retrieving a gun from his vehicle and keeping the shooter at bay until police arrived. A former member of the church, 25-year-old Emanuel Kidega Samson, is charged in that shooting. Authorities said at the time of the shooting, Samson had a note in his vehicle referencing Dylann Roof's 2015 massacre at a South Carolina church.

During Sunday's press conference, Briley called for comprehensive gun reform.

"Last night, innocent Nashvillians were terrorized by a man with an AR-15," Briley said, adding it has only been seven months since the church attack. "It's happening too much. Enough is enough."

Photos via Metro Nashville Police

J.R. Lind, Patch Staff, contributed to this article.