NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Four people were killed and four others were injured in a shooting at a Waffle House in Tennessee early Sunday, authorities said. The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department said they were drafting an arrest warrant for Travis Reinking, 29, of Morton, Illinois, who was still at large.
The shooting took place at the Waffle House located at 3571 Murfreesboro Pike in Antioch.
Don Aaron of the Metro Nashville Police Department told CBS affiliate WTVF that witnesses said Reinking drove his pickup truck into the Waffle House parking lot around 3 a.m. local time. They said Reinking exited his truck and began firing AR-15 at two people outside the restaurant, Aaron said. He then went inside the restaurant and opened fire.
Authorities discovered two magazines of AR-15 ammunition in a green jacket Reinking left behind. “He clearly came armed with a lot of firepower to devastate the south Nashville area,” Aaron said.
“There is a chance that Reinking is at large with two other weapons,” he added.
James Shaw Jr., 29, rushed Reinking, wrestled him to the ground and was able to grab his weapon. Shaw Jr.’s hands were severely burned from grabbing the AR-15.
“I saw an opportunity — my window — so I took it. I ran through the door as fast as I could and just kind of jammed him up with the gun when it pointed down. We started wrestling and fighting for it. I just took it and tossed it over the counter. I pushed him out of the restaurant and he walked off,” Shaw told WTVF.
“If I let him load that weapon it wasn’t going to be another chance,” Shaw said.
Of the four people who were injured, two of them were shot, Aaron said. Police shared an image of the weapon used in the shooting.
The image used in Sunday’s shooting.
Metro Nashville Police Department
A witness, Chuck Cordero, said he watched the gunman shoot his friend, who works as a cook at the restaurant.
“He pulled up, he got right out, he was prepared to do what he did. He didn’t look around for anybody, he just kinda got out and just started shooting and there just happened to be two people standing right outside,” Cordero told WTVF.
Another witness, BJ McMurry, was inside the restaurant during the shooting. He said the “number one thing I could think about was calling my wife and my son.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone there like that — someone lying on the floor bleeding and there’s nothing you can do,” McMurry told WTVF.
Waffle House issued a statement saying they were “deeply saddened” by the “tragic incident.”
“This is a very sad day for the Waffle House family, and we ask for everyone to keep the victims and their families in their thoughts and prayers,” the statement said.
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