Nashville Waffle House Shooting: Naked Gunman Kills 4, Manhunt On

ANTIOCH, TN — A semi-naked gunman armed with an AR-15 assault-style rifle opened fire early Sunday at a Waffle House in Antioch, killing four people and wounding two others in an apparently random shooting. A customer wrestled the weapon from the shooter, who ran from the restaurant and was being hunted by a massive force of law officers.

Police named the suspect as 29-year-old Travis Reinking who recently moved to Tennessee from the small town of Morton, Illinois. Police believe he may be armed with a handgun.

In the summer of 2016, paramedics were called to a parking lot in his hometown because his parents were concerned that he was suicidal and that he believed he was being stalked by Taylor Swift with the complicity of his parents and police. In July 2017, he was arrested for sneaking onto a restricted area of the White House grounds, law enforcement officials said. Reinking told agents he wanted to set up a meeting with President Donald Trump, the Secret Service said. When he was rebuffed, Reinking reportedly told the agents he was “a sovereign citizen” - perhaps a reference to an anti-government movement that uses fringe interpretations of common law in a futile attempt to reject most federal and state authority - who had a right to inspect the grounds.

After the Secret Service alerted local law officers in Illinois about the incident, they revoked his Illinois firearms authorization and he voluntarily turned over four guns from his home. Those weapons were retrieved by Reinkings' father, who holds a firearms authorization. Authorities believe the father then returned the guns to his son. MNPD said there were no Tennessee laws preventing Reinking from owning the guns.

MNPD chief Steve Anderson said there may be “some mental issues” with Reinking but he did not speculate on a motive.

Those firearms included the AR-15 used in Sunday's shooting, police said. Another was found during a search of his Antioch apartment after the shooting. A pistol was still missing. The TBI added Reinking to its most wanted list Sunday afternoon. Metro Police said TBI, ATF and FBI agents had joined at least 80 MNPD officers as the search continued Sunday night.

Reinking, who was nude but for a jacket, began shooting at two people outside the 24-hour restaurant at 3571 Murfreesboro Pike around 3:25 a.m, Metro Nashville Police said. Without saying anything, he entered the restaurant and continued shooting, police and witnesses said.

Restaurant patron James Shaw Jr., 29, scrambled for cover. When he noticed a brief pause in the shooting — either the rifle jammed or the gunman was reloading — he rushed the attacker and wrestled the weapon from him. Shaw tossed it over the counter at the restaurant.

The shooter fled and had not been captured as the sun began to set.

"When he came in, I distinctively remember thinking that he is going to have to work for this kill,” Shaw told reporters. “I had a chance to stop him and thankfully I stopped him.”

He was treated for cuts on one of his elbows and soon after spoke at a news conference that was broadcast by major news outlets. Disarming the gunman undoubtably saved the lives of other patrons, police said. They called him a hero.

Shaw said he was uncomfortable with the title and attention. He said he actually acted "selfishly," out of self-preservation.

"I'm just a regular guy," he said. Later, Shaw launched a GoFundMe campaign to assist the families of the victims.

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The car that the gunman drove to the restaurant was registered to Reinking. After Shaw muscled the rifle from him, Reinking ran off naked, leaving the coat behind. Shortly afterward, he was seen walking down Murfreesboro Pike wearing only black pants and was later spotted in a wood line near the Discovery at Mountain View Apartments on Mountain Springs Drive, where he had been living. Police dog units tracked him to Tennessee Valley Authority transmission lines.

Chuck Cordero, 50, told The Tennessean he was drinking coffee in the restaurant and saw a man shooting at two people in the parking lot and then the restaurant windows before entering.

"He was all business," Cordero said.

Three victims died at the Waffle House. A fourth died after being taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Local police identified the victims as Taurean Sanderlin, 29, a Waffle House worker, and patrons Joe Perez, 20, DeEbony Groves, a 21-year-old Belmont University senior; and Akilah Dasilva, 23.

Two other people were shot and were being treated at Vanderbilt. There were other injuries, including from broken glass.

"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 and 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," Metro Nashville Mayor David Briley said in a statement. "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.”

In a statement, Waffle House said top restaurant officials are on the way to Nashville from Atlanta.

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.

The Waffle House is less than two miles west of Burnette Chapel Church of Christ on Pin Hook Road, where another deadly high-profile shooting shook the community on Sept. 24.

This is a developing story; stay with Patch for updates.

Photos via Metro Nashville Police