Deadly shooting by semi-naked gunman
FOUR people were killed and several others injured when a naked gunman burst into a Waffle House in the Nashville area and opened fire, according to reports.
The gunfire erupted early Sunday morning at the Waffle House, where a customer managed to wrestle away the gunman's rifle before he fled on foot, police said on Twitter.
Waffle House: 6 persons shot, 4 fatally (3 died at the scene, 1 at the hospital). The 2 others are being treated at Vanderbilt. Search continuing for Travis Reinking. pic.twitter.com/ioR7cVq899
— Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) April 22, 2018
Police said they were looking for 29-year-old Travis Reinking of Morton, Illinois, as a person of interest in the shooting.
They identified him based on the vehicle he drove to the eatery.
Police described the weapon as an AR-15 assault rifle, WSMV reported.
Four people were injured in the shooting in Antioch, Tenn., a suburban neighbourhood about 12 miles from downtown Nashville.
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
Vanderbilt Hospital spokesman Jennifer Wetzel said the hospital had accepted three of the injured patients, all of whom were in critical condition, ABC News reported.
One of those is listed in critical but stable condition.
The suspect, who is white, was wearing only a green jacket at the time of the shooting, but was otherwise naked.
Waffle House spokesman Pat Warner called it a "very troubling" situation.
"We are sending our corporate team from Atlanta and heading to Nashville now," Warner said, according to ABC. "Our thoughts are with those affected."
Police say Reinking is believed to have been seen at an apartment complex near the scene wearing black pants and no shirt.
Reinking is known to both state and federal law enforcement because of previous, unspecified incidents, WSMV reported. His hometown of Morton is a village some 450 miles north of Antioch, a suburban neighborhood about 12 miles from downtown Nashville.
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
Chuck Cordero, 50, a Waffle House employee who was not working at the time, said he saw the suspect open fire.
"He did not say anything," Cordero told the Tennessean. "He pulled up, got out of his car and was all business."
He praised the man he saw grab the gun away from the shooter.
"He really saved some people. I'm positive he did," Cordero said. "Had that guy had a chance to reload his weapon, there was plenty more people in that restaurant."
This aritcle was orginaly seen in theNew York Post and has been republished here with permission.
