Authorities on Monday afternoon arrested a man suspected of stripping at a Waffle House in Antioch, Tennessee, early Sunday before opening fire on customers and employees, killing four people.
Nashville police confirmed that authorities arrested suspected shooter Travis Reinking, 29, on Monday afternoon. He was earlier identified as the man suspected of killing Taurean C. Sanderlin, 29; Joe R. Perez, 20; Akilah Dasilva and DeEbony Groves, 21.
Update Apr 23, 2018 7:06 PM EDT: Reinking booked in Metro Jail on the four murder warrants.
Update Apr 23, 2018 3:56 PM EDT: An official with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said Monday that the father of suspected Waffle House shooter Travis Reinking could face charges for giving his son back his guns after authorities took them following an incident at the White House last year.
Special Agent Marcus Watson said the decision by Jeffrey Reinking to return his son's weapons is "potentially a violation of federal law," The Associated Press reported.
Reinking was barred from owning firearms after he was arrested in July 2017 on a charge of unlawful entry at the White House. According to the AP, Reinking was demanding a meeting with President Donald Trump.
Update Apr 23, 2018 3:20 PM EDT: Police said Monday that a tip from the public led officers to the man suspected of killing four people early Sunday at a Tennessee Waffle House.
"It was a citizen’s tip that led to this apprehension," Police Chief Steve Anderson said Monday at a news conference. "It was a team effort that made this possible."
Travis Reinking, 29, was apprehended just after 1 p.m. CDT Monday after police got a tip about a man crossing into a wooded area behind a construction site near the Waffle House where police said he opened fire Sunday.
Nashville police Lt. Carlos Lara said officers spotted Reinking after following a path through the wooded area and fanning out. He said Reinking said nothing when he was apprehended and requested a lawyer as soon as he was taken to a police station.
He was wearing a backpack and a maroon shirt when officers apprehended him, Lara said. In the backpack, officers said they found a semi-automatic weapon and a Colorado identification card with Reinking's information on it.
"Yesterday was a horrible day for the city of Nashville," Nashville Mayor David Briley said Monday. "Today is a day where we can start moving on as a community, I hope."
Update Apr 23, 2018 2:57 PM EDT: Authorities are expected to provide an update on the case around 2 p.m. CDT.
Update Apr 23, 2018 2:08 PM EDT: The suspect is in custody, Nashville police confirmed Monday afternoon.
Officials did not immediately provide additional information on the arrest.
Update Apr 23, 2018 1:58 PM EDT: Police released a photo Monday of a laptop bag found by a passerby that contained a handwritten identification card with suspected Waffle House shooter Travis Reinking's name on it.
Police spokesman Don Aaron said earlier Monday that the bag was empty save for the handwritten card. Authorities said Reinking was in the area of the Waffle House where the deadly shooting took place early Sunday, but it was not immediately clear when he dropped or ditched his laptop bag.
Update Apr 23, 2018 1:51 PM EDT: The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation on Monday released a new photo of Travis Reinking, the 29-year-old man suspected of opening fire after stripping at a Waffle House outside Nashville on Sunday, killing four people.
Authorities said the image was taken in July 2017, after Reinking was arrested outside the White House.
Update Apr 23, 2018 1:43 PM EDT: President Donald Trump is monitoring the situation in Tennessee, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Monday at a news conference.
"The president offers his condolences to the victims and their families," Huckabee Sanders said, adding that officials are in touch with state and local investigators.
Update Apr 23, 2018 1:17 PM EDT: Officials said at a news conference Monday afternoon that they have yet to learn of any confirmed sightings of Travis Reinking, the 29-year-old man suspected of killing four people in a shooting early Saturday at a Waffle House outside Nashville.
Police spokesman Don Aaron said electronic billboards with Reinking’s face on them will go up throughout the region as authorities continue to search for him.
“There have been no confirmed sightings of him, so we don’t know where he is,” Aaron said. “it is possible that he has left the area, we just don’t know.”
Aaron said police in nearby Brentwood determined that Reinking stole a car from a BMW dealership in the Nashville suburb last week. The vehicle was found parked at his apartment complex, Aaron said.
Police believe Reinking, who is from Illinois, came toTennessee last Fall. He worked a job in construction, but was fired or dismissed from the position three weeks ago, Aaron said. He got another job,which he started last Monday.
Aaron said Reinking did not show up for work Tuesday.
Authorities continue to search for Reinking and to delve into his motive.
“The crime he committed – a quadruple murder – there’s nothing more urgent,” Aaron said.
Update Apr 23, 2018 12:34 PM EDT: Authorities are providing an update on the search for suspected Waffle House shooter Travis Reinking.
Update Apr 23, 2018 12:24 PM EDT: Investigators left Burnette Chapel Church of Christ on Monday morning after searching the woods behind it for signs of suspected shooter Travis Reinking, 29.
Reinking is accused of opening fire at a Waffle House outside Nashville early Sunday morning, killing four people.
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