Authorities in Nashville, Tennessee, are searching for 29-year-old suspect, Travis Reinking, who allegedly killed four people in a Waffle House early on Sunday morning while nearly nude.
“Keep your doors locked, keep your eyes open. If you see this individual — if you see a nude guy walking around this morning — call the police department immediately,” said Metro Nashville police spokesman Don Aaron on Sunday, according to CNN.
BREAKING: Travis Reinking, 29, of Morton, IL, is person of interest in Waffle House shooting. Vehicle the gunman arrived in is registered to him. Gunman last seen walking south on Murfreesboro Pike. He shed is coat and is nude. See Reinking? Pls call 615-862-8600 immediately. pic.twitter.com/duoWCo5fC0
— Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) April 22, 2018
Investigation on going at the Waffle House. Scene being processed by MNPD experts. This is the rifle used by the gunman. pic.twitter.com/lihhRImHQN
— Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) April 22, 2018
Police said the incident occurred at around 3:25 a.m., local time, and left four killed and four others injured. The gunman opened fire while wearing only a jacket. Police are now searching for Reinking, of Morton, Illinois, who has remained a person of interest and the primary suspect in the attack.
But the death toll could have been much higher had it not been for the actions of James Shaw Jr., 29, who disarmed the shooter, and has since been hailed as a hero. Shaw was a customer at the Waffle House during the time of the shooting, and charged the gunman, who had used an assault-style rifle.
Aaron explained, “He [Shaw] saw the gunman looking at his rifle. At that point, the shots had stopped. So he decided to rush the gunman, actually wrestled that assault rifle away, tossed it over the counter. At that point, the gunman then fled.”
“He is the hero here, and no doubt he saved many lives by wrestling the gun away and then tossing it over the counter, and prompting the man to leave,” Aaron said.
On Sunday morning, he said the suspect “clothed himself with a pair of pants.”
A man believed to be Travis Reinking was last seen in a wood line near Discovery at Mountain View Apts. on Mountain Springs Dr. near the Waffle House. The man was seen wearing black pants and no shirt.
— Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) April 22, 2018
Shaw only suffered minor injuries to his elbow, along with other abrasions, according to The Tennesseean.
“When he came in, I distinctively remember thinking that he is going to have to work for this kill,” Shaw recalled. “I had a chance to stop him and thankfully I stopped him.”
He explained, “I grabbed the gun and kept it down. He had one hand on it. I pulled it away and threw it over the bar.”
Shaw rejected the notion that he was a hero, and said “it feels selfish,” The Tennesseean noted.
“I don’t really know, when everyone said that (of being a hero), it feels selfish,” he said. “I was just trying to get myself out. I saw the opportunity and pretty much took it.”
Waffle House expressed condolences to the victims in a statement on Sunday morning.
This is a very sad day for the Waffle House family. We ask for everyone to keep the victims and their families in their thoughts and prayers.
— Waffle House News (@WaffleHouseNews) April 22, 2018
There is currently no known motive behind the shooting. Users on Twitter, including some of the student survivors of the Parkland shooting in February, weighed in and praised the heroic actions of Shaw.
So only a good guy with a gun can stop a bad guy with a gun? @NRA 🧐
https://t.co/a61hDQrWyD— David Hogg 🟧 (@davidhogg111) April 22, 2018
My heart goes out to those affected by the Waffle House shooting in Nashville. This doesn’t just happen in schools, it happens everywhere. Clear backpacks wouldnt have prevented this.
— Sarah Chadwick (@Sarahchadwickk) April 22, 2018
As a surgeon in Nashville, this Waffle House shooting is so tragic and infuriating because Tennessee state lawmakers have repeatedly refused to change the most lax laws on AR-15s in the nation. You don’t need a background check to buy one in a private transfer.
— Eugene Gu, MD (@eugenegu) April 22, 2018
Where is safe? Is this the type of country we must live in? I shouldn’t have to be anxious everywhere I go. I shouldn’t have to have an anxiety attack if my back is facing a door in a public place such as a restaurant or movie theater. https://t.co/OgI0OahE5U
— Lauren Hogg (@lauren_hoggs) April 22, 2018
This is 29 year old James Shaw. He tackled and disarmed the suspected white supremacist terrorist Travis Reinking who shot up a Waffle House in Antioch Tn. This is a real American hero. He saved many lives pic.twitter.com/nrEULqh89O
— Tariq Nasheed 🇺🇸 (@tariqnasheed) April 22, 2018
Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu, of California, called out his Republican colleagues and demanded more actions be taken on guns.
Dear @SpeakerRyan: At least 4 people died & multiple victims injured because a gunman used an assault weapon at a Waffle House. When will you stop silencing us & let us at least debate gun safety measures in Congress?
You're quitting. You no longer need to be beholden to @NRA. https://t.co/Iohzlumc95
— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) April 22, 2018
