Early Sunday morning, Travis Reinking opened fire at the Waffle House in Nashville, TN, killing at least four people and injuring at least four others. The 29-year-old previously had weapons removed from his possession after he was arrested in 2017 near the White House. According to The Tennessean, Reinking was arrested for being in a “restricted area” near the White House. Secret Service representative Todd Hudson said that Reinking wanted to “set up a meeting with the president.” Following the arrest, his firearms authorization from Illinois, where he lives, was revoked and local Illinois authorities seized four weapons.
“Among the weapons seized by those authorities was the AR-15 rifle used at the Waffle House today,” said Nashville police spokesman Don Aaron at a Sunday afternoon news conference, according to The Tennessean.
On Aug. 24, 2017, officers took a state-issued card from Reinking that Illinois requires for someone to own a weapon. Reinking volunteered to give up his four weapons, Tazewell County Sheriff Robert M. Huston said, but Reinking’s father was present when the cops came and had a valid state authorization card. He asked the police if he could keep the weapons, and Huston said he was allowed to do that after he assured deputies he would keep them secure and away from Travis. According to The Tennessean, Huston and Nashville Police Chief Steve Anderson said they believe Reinking’s father returned the weapons to Reinking.
Police are still looking for Reinking, and suspect that he may have one weapon. They say that he fired a rifle through the windows of the Waffle House before entering the restaurant, where he continued firing. He fled the scene wearing no clothes, police say. He was later seen wearing black pants but no shirt.
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