Police: Waffle House Shooting Suspect Still at Large, Possibly With 2 Guns

Police are still searching for Travis Reinking, the suspect in the early Sunday morning shooting [...]

By Daniel S. Levine

Police are still searching for Travis Reinking, the suspect in the early Sunday morning shooting at a Waffle House near Nashville that left four people dead. Authorities say he might be carrying two guns with him now.

After a search of the scene and Reinking's apartment, police have the AR-15 he allegedly used in the shooting and a second gun. They did not find the other two, described as a handgun and a hunting rifle.

"There is a chance that Reinking at this moment is at large with two other weapons," police spokesman Don Aaron said, reports The Tennessean.

Reinking is believed to have had four weapons with him in Nashville, even though he had the weapons confiscated in Illinois last year after he was arrested by Secret Service agents near the White House. Police in Illinois revoked his firearms authorization and seized the four weapons, which were given to his father. However, his father later gave Reinking back the weapons.

The 29-year-old suspect opened fire at a Waffle House on Murfreesboro Pike in Antioch, near Nashville, at around 3:25 a.m. First, he fired at two men standing outside the building, then opened fire inside. Police and witnesses said he was only wearing a jacket.

During the shooting, 29-year-old James Shaw Jr. wrestled the gun out of Reinking's hands, preventing him from killing more people. Police hailed him as a hero.

"You had a citizen step up to intervene with an active shooter," police spokesman Don Aaron said during a press conference. "He is the hero here and no doubt he saved many lives."

After the weapon was taken away from him, Reinking fled the scene and dropped his jacket, which police said had more ammunition in the pockets. He was later seen again wearing black pants and no shirt.

FBI investigators have already arrived on the scene. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation put him on its Top 10 Most Wanted list. "He stands 6'4", weighs 180 pounds, and should be considered armed and dangerous," the bureau said.

Although federal, state and local officials were aware of Reinking because of "previous interactions," Nashville police said they never interacted with him before Sunday. The department said it was drafting murder charges against him.

SWAT officers rushed to the Discovery at Mountain View Apartments complex, where Reinking lived, but did not locate him there.

Police are still unaware of a motive for the shooting. Anyone who thinks they see him or have information on Reinking's whereabouts are asked to call Emergency Communications Center at 615-862-8600, Crime Stoppers at 615-742-7463 or 911.

Photo credit: Twitter/ Metro Nashville PD

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