Police Hunt on for Nashville Shooter

  • 4/23/2018
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Police in the United States on Monday were searching for a gunman, who left four people dead at a Nashville Waffle House on Sunday. Law enforcement officers searched for the suspected shooter, Travis Reinking, 29, at public schools through the night to make sure they would be safe when they reopen on Monday. Schools will be on “lock-out”, barring all visitors. “Metro Nashville Public Schools Parents always have the final decision on whether to send their child to school,” the statement said. Police identified the victims. Slain outside the restaurant in Nashville’s Antioch neighborhood shortly before 3:30 a.m. Sunday were Waffle House employee Taurean C. Sanderlin, 29, and patron Joe R. Perez, 20, police said. Inside, the shooter killed patrons DeEbony Groves, 21, and Akilah Dasilva, 23. Two wounded patrons, Shanita Waggoner, 21, and Sharita Henderson, 24, were being treated at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, listed in critical condition early on Monday. Others were cut by shattered glass. One diner, James Shaw Jr., 29, was grazed by a bullet as he hid near a restroom before he wrestled the AR-15 assault rifle from the gunman, police said. Police credited his action with saving lives. At a news conference, Shaw said he was no hero, adding: “I just wanted to live.” Shaw recalled how when he and a friend were at the Waffle House when they heard a crash, which he initially thought was plates breaking. He then saw the gunman, who was dressed in a green jacket and nothing else, open fire. When Shaw moved toward the bathroom, the shooter followed him, making him feel trapped. “I distinctly remember thinking that he is going to have to work for this kill,” he said. Shaw said that when he saw the gunman pause to reload, he saw his opportunity and snatched the gun, which he said was hot to the touch, and threw it away. He sported a bandage over his right hand where he was burned grabbing the barrel. “I didn’t care. It was life or death at that time,” Shaw said at the news conference. Metropolitan Nashville Police Field Capt. Daniel Newbern said that Reinking faces multiple murder charges, and is believed to be still armed with a pistol. Police disclosed no known motive for the attack by Reinking, who was naked except for a green jacket when he got out of his pickup truck and started shooting. As the shooter ran off, he discarded the jacket, which contained two additional ammunition magazines for the AR-15, according to police. Reinking is believed to be still armed with a pistol. Metropolitan Nashville Police Chief Steve Anderson said the suspect was last seen Sunday around a wooded area near an apartment complex where he lived. Authorities were not ruling out that he had left the area. He was believed to be wearing only pants and no shirt or shoes. Anderson said there was no clear motive, though Reinking may have "mental issues." Police reports from Illinois portrayed Reinking as a disturbed man with paranoid delusions, and one who liked firearms. The reports were among multiple past red flags about the suspect, who had just recently moved to Nashville from Morton, Illinois. Reinking was arrested by agents with the US Secret Service back in July after he crossed a restricted area near the White House, officials said. He was detained after refusing to leave, saying he wanted to meet President Donald Trump. In August, after the White House incident, Reinking told police in Tazewell County, Illinois, that he wanted to file a report about 20 to 30 people tapping into his computer and phone. He also complained that people were "barking like dogs" outside his residence, according to a report. He agreed to go to a local hospital for an evaluation after repeatedly resisting the request, the report said.

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