The Morton man accused of killing four people with an AR-15 rifle at a Tennessee Waffle House has been formally charged with four counts of criminal homicide and is being held on a $2 million bond. Court records say 29-year-old Travis Reinking was charged Monday. He is due in court Wednesday.
Police say Reinking was wearing a green jacket and nothing else Sunday when he stormed the restaurant in southeast Nashville and opened fire with the military assault-style rifle, first in the parking lot and then inside. Police credited a quick-thinking customer who wrestled the gun away from preventing more bloodshed.
Reinking had allegedly stolen a BMW from a Nashville area car dealer last week. Authorities discovered it outside the apartment where he lived and hauled it away. But they didn't figure out who had stolen the car until after the ambush at the nearby restaurant. Reinking fled the scene after the scuffle with the restaurant patron and was captured in a wooded area in Antioch, Tennessee after an intense manhunt with local and federal police officers that lasted more than a day.
Father Could Face Federal Charges
Travis Reinking lost his Illinois firearms license after exhibiting erratic behavior. Authorities say Travis Reinking's weapons were turned over to his father, but the father returned the three rifles and a handgun to his son when the son decided to move out of state.
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Special Agent Marcus Watson said at a news conference Monday that Jeffrey Reinking's act of returning the guns to his son is "potentially a violation of federal law."
Illinois is among the few states with a mechanism to allow firearms to be seized if someone's behavior constitutes a "clear and present danger."
