Waffle House Suspect Travis Reinking: National Manhunt For Alleged Shooter

A nationwide manhunt is underway for the gunman suspected of killing four people at a Nashville Waffle House on Sunday.

There have been "no credible sightings” of suspect Travis Reinking, 29, Metro Nashville Police Department said Monday. Officers and a SWAT team searched for him overnight with no success. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has listed Reinking as one of its 10 Most Wanted suspects and offered a reward of up to $2,500 for information that leads to his capture.

Reinking, who is originally from Morton, Illinois, may be on his way back to his home state, Tazewell County Sheriff Robert Huston told the Journal Star in Peoria, Illinois.  He may also be armed. Police said that one of his guns, a pistol, has not been recovered.
Reinking was arrested in July 2017 by the Secret Service for trespassing on the White House grounds. He told police at the time he wanted to meet with President Donald Trump. He also told police he was a "sovereign citizen,” according to WTOP-TV in Washington, DC. He was forced to forfeit his weapons to his father after his arrest, but police said his father returned the guns at some point, including the rifle found at the Waffle House.

Authorities in Illinois said in 2016 that Reinking appeared "delusional" and believed Taylor Swift was stalking him and hacking his phone and Netflix account, CNN reported. He had talked about killing himself and having "many firearms." 

Police believe Reinking opened fire in the Waffle House at 3:25 a.m. Sunday with an AR 15 assault-style rifle, killing three customers and an employee. Two others were wounded. Metropolitan Nashville Police identified the dead as 29-year-old employee Taurean C. Sanderlin of Goodlettsville, 20-year-old restaurant patron Joe R. Perez of Nashville, 23-year-old Akilah Dasilva of Nashville and 21-year-old DeEbony Groves of Gallatin, Tennessee. The wounded have been identified as Shanita Waggoner, 21,  and Sharita Henderson, 24, both of Nashville. One person is said to be in critical condition and another is in critical but stable condition as of Sunday, according to WZTV in Nashville.

One customer, 29-year-old James Shaw Jr., has been hailed for wrestling the gun from the shooter's hands. But Shaw insists he's no hero.

“It feels selfish,” he told The Tennessean. “I was just trying to get myself out. I saw the opportunity and pretty much took it.”

Reinking allegedly shed his coat and left the restaurant on foot. Police said he was last seen wearing black pants and no shirt. Police believe that he may have changed at an apartment complex near the Waffle House, which is close to his home. 

His motive for the attack is not clear. 

"We suspect some mental issues, but at this time, there are no notes, no verbal explanations, so we don't have a motive at this time," MNPD chief Steve Anderson said about Reinking at a press conference.

Callers with information about Reinking can call the Nashville Police Department at 615-862-8600 or the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation at 1-800-TBI-FIND.

[Photo: Metro Nashville Police Department]