Tenn. Waffle House Shooter Captured by Police

The Lebanon Democrat, Tenn.

Apr. 24—Travis Reinking, 29, was captured Monday afternoon by Metro Nashville police officers in a wooded area near Old Hickory Boulevard and Hobson Pike.

Reinking was wanted in connection to a deadly shooting at a Waffle House in Antioch early Sunday morning that left four dead.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation added Reinking to its top 10 most wanted list Sunday. He faces charges that include three counts of criminal homicide.

According to police, Reinking, of Morton, Illinois, opened fire in the restaurant parking lot early Sunday before he entered the building. Witnesses said the gunman, believed to be armed with an assault-style rifle, was nude except for a green jacket, which he tossed before he left the scene.

Three people died at the scene and one person later died at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. At least four more people were injured.

The victims were identified as:

• Taurean C. Sanderlin, 29, of Goodlettsville. Sanderlin, Waffle House employee, was fatally wounded outside the restaurant.
• Joe R. Perez, 20, of Nashville. Perez, a patron, was fatally wounded outside the restaurant.
• Akilah Dasilva, 23, of Antioch. Dasilva was wounded at the restaurant and died at the hospital.
• Another person, a 21-year-old woman from Gallatin, was killed. Her identity wasn't released.

A patron identified as James Shaw Jr., wrestled the firearm away from the gunman, police said. The suspect then fled the restaurant.

Police identified Reinking after the pickup truck used by the suspected gunman was registered to him. Police said Reinking currently lives near the Waffle House in Antioch.

Reinking was arrested after he was found in a "restricted area" near the White House, according to the Secret Service. His Illinois firearms authorization was revoked after the arrest and four weapons were seized from him.

Among the weapons seized was the AR-15 used at the Waffle House, police said, adding they believe Reinking's father retrieved the weapons after they were confiscated and returned them to his son.