NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Four people were killed and several others were injured in a shooting at a Waffle House in Tennessee early Sunday, authorities said. The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department identified the suspect as 29-year-old Travis Reinking of Morton, Illinois, who was still at large Sunday afternoon.
The shooting took place at the Waffle House located at 3571 Murfreesboro Pike in Antioch around 3 a.m. local time.
Reinking arrived at the Waffle House parking lot, exited his truck and began firing an AR-15 at two people outside the restaurant, Nashville Police spokesman Don Aaron said. He then went inside the restaurant and opened fire.
Authorities discovered two magazines of AR-15 ammunition in a green jacket Reinking left behind. "He clearly came armed with a lot of firepower to devastate the south Nashville area," Aaron said.
"There is a chance that Reinking is at large with two other weapons," he added.
Police said they were not aware any motives for the shooting.
"We suspect some mental issues but at this time there's no notes, no verbal explanations so we don't have a motive at this time," Nashville Police Chief Steve Anderson said in a news conference Sunday.
Waffle House: 6 persons shot, 4 fatally (3 died at the scene, 1 at the hospital). The 2 others are being treated at Vanderbilt. Search continuing for Travis Reinking. pic.twitter.com/ioR7cVq899 — Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) April 22, 2018
Police said James Shaw Jr., 29, rushed Reinking, wrestled him to the ground and was able to grab his weapon. Shaw's hands were severely burned from grabbing the AR-15.
"I saw an opportunity -- my window -- so I took it. I ran through the door as fast as I could and just kind of jammed him up with the gun when it pointed down. We started wrestling and fighting for it. I just took it and tossed it over the counter. I pushed him out of the restaurant and he walked off," Shaw told WTVF.
"If I let him load that weapon it wasn't going to be another chance," Shaw said.
Of the four people who were injured, two of them were shot, Aaron said. Police shared an image of the weapon used in the shooting.
In July 2017, Reinking was arrested by U.S. Secret Service for being in a restrictive area near the White House, the agency said in a statement. His guns were taken away and given to his father, who eventually gave Reinking the guns back.
At the request of the FBI, his firearms authorization was revoked and four weapons were seized. The guns were given to his father who ultimately gave them back to his son. Aaron said police discovered two guns, but two others were still unaccounted for.
Metro Nashville Police Department
A witness, Chuck Cordero, said he watched the gunman shoot his friend, who works as a cook at the restaurant.
"He pulled up, he got right out, he was prepared to do what he did. He didn't look around for anybody, he just kinda got out and just started shooting and there just happened to be two people standing right outside," Cordero told WTVF.
Another witness, BJ McMurry, was inside the restaurant during the shooting. He said the "number one thing I could think about was calling my wife and my son."
"I don't think I've ever seen someone there like that -- someone lying on the floor bleeding and there's nothing you can do," McMurry told WTVF.
Waffle House issued a statement saying they were "deeply saddened" by the "tragic incident."
"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 statement said.
A gunman wearing only a jacket and carrying an assault-style rifle opened fire at a Waffle House in Nashville early on Sunday, killing four people and leaving the police searching for him and a motive, officials said.
The police said murder warrants were being drafted for the suspect, Travis Reinking, 29, of Morton, Ill., who remained at large.
Don Aaron, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, said at a news conference that Mr. Reinking pulled into the parking lot of a Waffle House in the Antioch neighborhood of Nashville around 3:19 a.m. in a pickup truck.
He sat in the vehicle for up to four minutes before getting out and using an “assault-type rifle” to fatally wound two people who were outside the restaurant, Mr. Aaron said.
(CNN) Nashville police are asking residents to lock their doors and stay alert after a seminude gunman killed four people at an area Waffle House early Sunday.
Police are also asking for the public's help in finding suspect 29-year-old Travis Reinking of Morton, Illinois. Authorities said the gunman arrived in a vehicle registered to Reinking, though he walked away from the restaurant, naked.
Authorities believe Reinking may be armed with two guns.
"Keep your doors locked, keep your eyes open. If you see this individual -- if you see a nude guy walking around this morning -- call the police department immediately," Metro Nashville police spokesman Don Aaron said.
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. pic.twitter.com/duoWCo5fC0
The melee started around 3:23 a.m. (4:23 a.m. ET) in Antioch, southeast of Nashville.
After sitting in the truck for a few minutes, the gunman came out wielding an "assault-type rifle" and fatally shot two people outside the Waffle House, police said.
Investigation on going at the Waffle House. Scene being processed by MNPD experts. This is the rifle used by the gunman. pic.twitter.com/lihhRImHQN — Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) April 22, 2018
"He then went inside the restaurant (and) continued firing," Aaron said.
Some witnesses suffered cuts on their faces from shattered windows. Two more victims inside the restaurant were fatally shot.
Chuck Cordero, who was on break from his job as a 24/7 roadside serviceman, was about to walk in to the restaurant when the shooting took place.
"I was very lucky -- where I usually sit, one woman was killed and another was shot," he told CNN. "I was very fortunate to have not gone into the Waffle House and sat in my car."
Cordero added: "My friend 'T,' the cook at Waffle House, died trying to get away."
Police say a Waffle House customer snatched the rifle from the gunman.
The carnage stopped only because of the heroics of a customer who heard the gunshots and hid near the restaurant's bathrooms.
Police said the customer, identified by a relative as James Shaw Jr., monitored the gunman's moves from afar and jumped into action when he saw an opportunity.
"He saw the gunman looking at his rifle. At that point, the shots had stopped. So he decided to rush the gunman, actually wrestled that assault rifle away, tossed it over the counter. At that point, the gunman then fled," Aaron said.
James Shaw Jr., 29, took a selfie of himself Sunday showing an injury as well as a bandaged hand. Shaw was able to wrestle an AR-15 style rifle away from the shooter.
"He is the hero here, and no doubt he saved many lives by wrestling the gun away and then tossing it over the counter, and prompting the man to leave," he added.
Police said the assailant shed his jacket and fled on foot. Later Sunday morning, he apparently "clothed himself with a pair of pants," Aaron said.
"A man believed to be Travis Reinking was last seen in a wood line near Discovery at Mountain View Apts. on Mountain Springs Drive near the Waffle House," police tweeted . "The man was seen wearing black pants and no shirt."
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. — Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) April 22, 2018
Authorities recovered Reinking's jacket nearby, which had two magazines for AR-15 ammunition, Aaron said.
"He clearly came armed with a lot of firepower, intending to devastate the south Nashville area," Aaron said.
Suspect was once arrested near White House
In July 2017, the United States Secret Service arrested Reinking for being in a restricted area near the White House in Washington, police said.
Authorities in Tazewell County, Illinois, and the FBI interviewed Reinking, Aaron said. At the FBI's request, Reinking's Illinois firearms authorization was revoked, and four weapons -- including the AR-15 used in the Sunday's shooting -- were seized, Aaron said.
Tazwell County authorities later returned the guns to Reinking's father, who acknowledged giving them back to his son, Aaron said.
Authorities so far have recovered two weapons, including one found Sunday at Reinking's apartment, Aaron said. But they are concerned he may have two other weapons that were not found in his home.
Suspect worked in construction
Reinking is believed to have moved to the Nashville area last fall. He worked in construction and was fired from a job about three weeks ago, Aaron said.
The suspect started with another construction company last Monday but did not show up for work the next day, Aaron said.
Authorities have started drafting murder warrants against Reinking . But so far, the motive for the shooting remains unclear.
Waffle House, which has more than 1,500 locations across the country, offered its condolences.
The gunman who killed four people and wounded four at a Waffle House restaurant in Nashville on Sunday, before fleeing in the nude, was still at large more than 10 hours after the shooting, police said. It was thought he could be carrying two guns.
The secret service said the suspect, 29-year-old Travis Reinking, was arrested last year, for being in a restricted area near the White House. Reinking’s firearms authorization was revoked at the request of the FBI and four weapons were seized, including the AK-15 he allegedly used in the shooting.
Nashville police spokesman Don Aaron said the four guns were returned to the suspect’s father, who acknowledged giving them back to his son. Police said they were in possession of the AK-15 and another gun found during a search on Sunday. Two other guns were unaccounted for more than 10 hours after the shooting, which happened at 3.25am.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest A rifle police said was used in the shooting. Photograph: HO/AFP/Getty Images
The suspect wore nothing but a green jacket when he shot two people in the parking lot outside the Waffle House, Aaron said. Entering the restaurant, he continued firing until a customer grabbed the rifle. The gunman fled, shedding his jacket.
Witness Chuck Cordero told the Tennessean newspaper he was outside the restaurant when the chaos unfolded around 3.25am. “He did not say anything,” Cordero said of the gunman, who he said was “all business”. Cordero said the man who wrested the gun from the suspect saved lives. “Had that guy had a chance to reload his weapon, there was plenty more people in that restaurant,” he said.
Police identified the man who grabbed the weapon as 29-year-old James Shaw Jr. Shaw told the Tennessean he was “just trying to get myself out. I saw the opportunity and pretty much took it”.
The newspaper said Shaw was treated and released, having been grazed by a bullet. “When I was in the ambulance to hospital I kept thinking that I’m going to wake up and it’s not going to be real,” Shaw said. “It is something out a movie. I’m OK though, but I hate that it happened.”
I’m pretty sure he grazed my arm. At that time I made up my mind … that he was going to have to work to kill me James Shaw Jr
At an afternoon news conference, Shaw said he went to the restaurant after visiting a nightclub. He heard gunshots, but initially thought stacks of plates had fallen over. It was then that he saw restaurant workers scatter, he said, and saw a body near the front door as the gunman burst through it.
“He shot through that door,” Shaw said. “I’m pretty sure he grazed my arm. At that time I made up my mind … that he was going to have to work to kill me. When the gun jammed or whatever happened, I hit him with the swivel door.”
The gun then jammed up, and Shaw managed to get one hand on the gun, grab it and throw it away.
Aaron, the police spokesman, said three people died at the restaurant and one person died at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where two others were being treated for gunshot wounds. Medical Center spokeswoman Jennifer Wetzel said one was in critical condition and the other was critical but stable. TriStar Southern Hills Medical Center spokeswoman Katie Radel in Nashville said two people were treated for minor injuries and released.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest A Swat team and bomb squad serve a search warrant at the apartment of the suspected gunman. Photograph: Rick Musacchio/EPA
Aaron said that after Shaw grabbed his rifle and tossed it over a counter, the gunman fled and was seen walking, nude, on a road. Police were still searching for him amid a steady rain more than 10 hours later.
Aaron said Reinking lived near the restaurant in the working- and middle-class Antioch neighborhood of south-east Nashville, and police used yellow crime scene tape to block public access to an apartment complex about a half mile from the Waffle House. Reinking is from Morton, Illinois, and was known to both Illinois and federal law enforcement, Aaron said.
The victims’ names were not immediately released.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Travis Reinking. Photograph: Jose Romero/AFP/Getty Images
“This is a very sad day for the Waffle House family,” the company said in a statement on Twitter. “We ask for everyone to keep the victims and their families in their thoughts and prayers.”
The Nashville mayor, David Briley, described “a tragic day” for the city. “My heart goes out to the families & friends of every person who was killed or wounded,” Briley said in a statement. “I know all of their lives will be forever changed by this devastating crime.”
US representative Jim Cooper, a Democrat whose district includes Nashville, said in a statement the shooting showed the need for tighter restrictions on “widespread civilian access to military-grade assault weapons”.
Bill Haslam, the Tennessee governor,said he and his wife, Crissy, were “deeply saddened by the tragic incident in Antioch early this morning, and we mourn the lives taken in this senseless act of violence”.
