Newly released bodycam footage shows Travis Reinking, the Waffle House shooting suspect, in a police encounter two months before the tragic attack.
Reinking allegedly took four lives and injured two others last week when he opened fire on a Waffle House restaurant with an AR-15 assault rifle. Since then, it has come to light that he had a history of violent outbursts and run-ins with law enforcement that went unchecked.
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The latest video, uncoverd by CBS News affiliate WTVF, shows Reinking in a motel in Alcoa, Tennessee. He complains to police that someone kept knocking on his window and yelling throughout the night.
“They’ll be talking loud at night, knock on the windows and walk off, and I don’t know who it is,” Reinking said back in February.
However, Reinking was actually the source of the complaint the police were originally called for. Samantha Veals said that she called authorities after Reinking threatened her and her children in the motel.
Veals said that Reinking was yelling in a room near hers, while she was trying to put he children to sleep. When she asked him to be quiet, she said that he charged into her room, clenching his fist menacingly. Veals reportedly screamed in terror, which prompted Reinking to laugh.
Police said that Reinking admitted to yelling in the motel late at night, but he said that he never charged at her. Ultimately, Veals chose not to press charges.
Reinking was arrested on Monday after 35 hours on the run from police. His assault rifle was found at the scene of the shooting as well as his truck, and multiple witnesses said that he was the shooter.
He was charged with four counts of homicide, each worth $500,000 in bond. Still, hypothetically, Reinking could have walked free if he could pay $2 million.
Tennessee State Judge Michael Mondelli decided not to let that happen. The Davidson County judge revoked Reinking’s bond on Tuesday without explanation. Reinking’s first hearing is scheduled for May 7.
The Districtor Attorney General’s office in metro Nashville and Davidson County was pleased with the decision, according to spokesman Steve Hayslip. He told CNN that the office had been flooded with calls after Reinking’s arrest.
“I think it’s a great move by the judge to revoke bond,” he said. “I can only guess or assume that he felt the pulse of the community just as we did.”
“The last thing people wanted was for him to be released,” Hayslip added.
