Waffle House Shooter Travis Reinking Indicted on 17 Counts Including First-Degree Murder

02/04/2019 03:37 pm EST

Travis Reinking, the suspect in the mass shooting at a Waffle House in Antioch, Tennessee last year, was indicted on 17 counts in the case, including four counts of first-degree murder.

A Davidson County grand jury indicted Reinking Monday for his alleged role in the April 22, 2018 mass shooting that killed four people, Taurean C. Sanderlin, 29; Joe R. Perez, 20; DeEbony Groves, 21; and Akilah DaSilva, 23. He is now in jail, awaiting trial, reports The Tennessean.

The charges include four counts of first-degree murder, possession of a firearm with the intent to commit a dangerous felony and possession of a handgun.

Reinking was on the run for almost 36 hours after the shooting before police arrested him. A Bushmaster AR-15 assault-style rifle was reportedly found at the scene. He previously had his weapons taken from him twice, first by his father and then by police. Police later returned the weapons to his father, who promised to keep them out of the hands of his son.

In August, Reinking was admitted to a mental hospital for treatment of schizophrenia. In October, he was deemed competent to face charges, allowing the criminal case to proceed.

In December, a series of federal court documents included details on Reinking's life before the shooting. It included text messages from his father, Jeffrey Reinking, sent in January 2018.

"Mom and I are wondering if everything is OK," Jeffrey Reinking wrote in one text, reports The Tennessean. "We haven't heard from you. And we are getting concerned."

Jeffrey Reinking's texts came to light in a federal lawsuit filed by Abede DaSilva, the brother of DaSilva, who believes Reinking's father should be held responsible for the shooting. The lawsuit accuses Jeffrey Reinking of breaking the law when he gave Reinking his weapons back when he moved to Tennessee.

Attorney Daniel Horowitz said the decision "was not only grossly negligent — instead, the DaSilva family asserts that it was criminal... Accordingly, the DaSilva family requests that Tazewell County and federal law enforcement officials review Mr. Reinking's December 4, 2018 deposition testimony and take appropriate action immediately."

Following the shooting, James Shaw Jr. was hailed a hero for his actions. He reportedly tackled Reinking and wrestled Reinking's weapon from his hands. Shaw later launched a GoFundMe page that raised $150,000 for victims.

"I'm not a hero. I'm just a regular person," Shaw said after the shooting. "I think anybody could've did what I did if they're just pushed in that kind of cage... and you have to either react or you're going to, you know, fold."

Photo credit: Metro Nashville Police Department via Getty Images

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