Bond revoked for suspect from Illinois charged in Tennessee Waffle House shooting

Diane Pathieu Image
Tuesday, April 24, 2018
Bond revoked for Tenn. Waffle House shooting suspect
The suspected gunman charged with murdering four people at a Tennessee Waffle House has had his bond revoked.

The investigation into a Tennessee mass shooting, turns from the Illinois suspect to his father.

Travis Reinking, 29, has been charged with four counts of criminal homicide after four people were killed at a Waffle House restaurant in Antioch, Tennessee on Sunday. Reinking was initially given a $2 million bond, but the bond was revoked Tuesday, pending a hearing on Wednesday.

Reinking spoke through a phone on a jail monitor during his initial court appearance. Police arrested Reinking Monday afternoon after a massive 36-hour manhunt. A phone tip led authorities to his location in a wooded area.

"As soon as the detectives saw him, there was really no communication other than the detective drawing down on him and he got on the ground," said Metropolitan Nashville Police Lieutenant Carlos Lara.

There are questions about Reinking's run-ins with law enforcement. There are 30 pages of police reports on the suspect's past.

In July of 2017 Reinking was arrested by the Secret Service for trespassing near the White House. His four firearms were turned over to his father, who police say later gave all of them back to his son, including the rifle he's accused of using to gun down his victims.

Tuesday morning, federal investigators are looking at his father, and asking whether or not he could face charges.

Reinking is from Morton, Illinois. The state's attorney downstate says it does not have enough information yet to determine if Jeffrey Reinking, the suspect's father, committed a criminal offense. They will wait for the FBI to decide.

Reinking is expected back in court Wednesday.

TENN> LAWMAKERS HONOR HERO

The man hailed as a hero in the shooting at the Waffle House, James Shaw, Jr., was honored by Tennessee lawmakers Tuesday.

"I'm a genuine person. I didn't do it to actually save people, I did it to save my life. In me saving my life I saved other lives, so that's probably one of the greatest things I think you could do," Shaw said.

Shaw rushed at Reinking and grabbed the gun's barrel. He wrestled the firearm from him and threw it over the counter, removing the possibility of that gun being used to do more harm.

Tennessee lawmakers passed a resolution calling Shaw a hero, saying in part, "Mr. Shaw is indeed a hero; his actions on that fateful morning are unfathomable to most, indescribable by even the chief of police, and very poignant to the citizens of Nashville, who are deeply grateful for his brave actions in the face of extreme adversity that saved many lives."