The suspected gunman who killed four people and wounded four others at a Tennessee Waffle House early Sunday morning has been apprehended, police said on Monday. The incident took place in Antioch, in the Nashville metropolitan.

The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department said a nude man began shooting at the restaurant at about 3:25 am. A patron, later identified as 29-year-old James Shaw Jr., wrestled the gun away from him, and he fled on foot.

The police identified Travis Reinking, 29, as as a suspect in the shooting and said murder warrants were drafted against him. Police continued their search for him overnight until arresting him on Monday.

What we know

A gunman opened fire at a Waffle House restaurant in Antioch, Tennessee, at 3:25 am Sunday. Six people were shot, including four who died and two others were injured.

The victims were identified as Taurean Sanderlin, 29, Joe Perez, 20, DeEbony Groves, 21, and Akilah DaSilva, 23.

The Metropolitan National Police Department tweeted that a patron “wrestled away the gunman’s rifle” and that he was nude and fled on foot. “The man who wrestled the gun away is a hero,” Metro Nashville police spokesperson Don Aaron told CNN.

The patron was later identified as 29-year-old James Shaw Jr., who spoke with the Tennessean. “I don’t really know, when everyone said that, it feels selfish,” he said when asked about the descriptions of him as a hero. “I was just trying to get myself out. I saw the opportunity and pretty much took it.” He said he was grazed by a bullet, treated for a minor gunshot wound, and released from the hospital Sunday morning.

Shaw described the incident and his decision to wrestle the gun away from the gunman at a press conference on Sunday. “He was going to have to work to — work to kill me,” he said.

James Shaw on tackling Waffle House shooter: "I'm pretty sure he grazed my arm. And it was at that time that I kind of made up my mind...that if it was going to come down to it, he was gonna have to work to kill me." https://t.co/7dVkZl5D7E pic.twitter.com/RrGgL7KJEv — Fox News (@FoxNews) April 22, 2018

Police tweeted that Travis Reinking, 29, from Morton, Illinois, is a “person of interest” in the Waffle House shooting. They identified him because the vehicle he arrived in was registered under that name. They said murder warrants have been drafted against him and warned he may be carrying two guns.

Reinking was arrested on Monday.

BREAKING: Murder suspect Travis Reinking is in custody. Arrested moments ago. pic.twitter.com/WwuDCXDCGQ — Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) April 23, 2018

Police said the gunman was naked except for a green jacket at the time of the shooting, after which he shed his jacket and fled. However, the description later changed, and he was spotted near an apartment complex wearing black pants.

Police tweeted a picture of the rifle used by the gunman on Sunday.

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

The US Secret Service said that Reinking was arrested near the White House in July 2017 for being in a “restricted area.” After his arrest, his Illinois firearms authorization was revoked, and the police seized his weapons, including the AR-15 he used at the Waffle House shooting. Police believe his father received the weapons after they were taken away and returned them to him.

Pat Warner, a spokesperson for Waffle House, told Fox News members of management are at the Nashville location assisting with the incident and the company is “deeply saddened” by what happened. “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,” he said.

Nashville Mayor David Briley tweeted that it’s a “tragic day” for the city.

It’s a tragic day for our city anytime people lose their lives at the hands of a gunman. My heart goes out to the families & friends of every person who was killed or wounded in this morning’s shooting. I know all of their lives will be forever changed by this devastating crime. — Mayor David Briley (@MayorBriley) April 22, 2018

What we don’t know</s>Search continuing for accused quadruple murderer Travis Reinking. More than 80 MNPD officers are joined this evening by our partners from the THP, FBI & ATF. See Reinking? Please call 615-862-8600 immediately. One of his guns, a pistol, remains unaccounted for. pic.twitter.com/RELswfuFc8 — 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

BREAKING: 3 persons fatally shot & 4 others wounded at the Waffle House, 3571 Murfreesboro Pike. Gunman opened fire @ 3:25 a.m. A patron wrestled away the gunman's rifle. He was nude & fled on foot. He is a white man with short hair. pic.twitter.com/d1qxRxsGNx — Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) April 22, 2018

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

It’s a tragic day for our city anytime people lose their lives at the hands of a gunman. My heart goes out to the families & friends of every person who was killed or wounded in this morning’s shooting. I know all of their lives will be forever changed by this devastating crime. — Mayor David Briley (@MayorBriley) April 22, 2018

There's clearly more to be said about these circumstances, but for now I ask Nashville to pray for and rally around these victims and join me in thanking @MNPDNashville as it works to find and apprehend the shooter. — Mayor David Briley (@MayorBriley) April 22, 2018

EMBED More News Videos Travis Reinking, the suspect in the deadly Waffle House shooting, was still at large Sunday.

A manhunt is underway in Tennessee for a central Illinois man who police say opened fire with an assault rifle at a Waffle House restaurant, killing four people.Authorities identified the victims as Waffle House employee Taurean C. Sanderlin, 29, Joe R. Perez, 20, Akilah Dasilva, 23, and DeEbony Groves, 21, according to CNN.Travis Reinking, 29, of Morton, Illinois, allegedly was wearing only a green jacket when he opened fire at about 3:30 a.m. Sunday on a Waffle House at 3571 Murfreesboro Pike in Antioch outside Nashville.Reinking is listed as part of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation's Ten Most Wanted List, and officers from at least four agencies, including the FBI, are participating in the search. A reward of $2,500 has been offered for information leading to his arrest.Witnesses said that Reinking sat in his truck for several minutes, looking at the people in the restaurant.Two people were fatally shot outside the restaurant Sunday as Reinking allegedly started firing his "assault-type rifle" as he got out of the truck, police said. One person was shot inside the restaurant and a fourth person died at a hospital. Six total people were shot, and others sustained injuries from flying glass and debris.A 29-year-old male patron wrestled away the gunman's rifle, police said, and suffered minor injuries. The patron ran to the restaurant's restroom area and watched the shooting. When he saw Reinking looking at his rifle, he rushed him. He got the gun away from Reinking and threw it over the counter.Police called the patron "a hero."After the shooting, Reinking shed his jacket and was nude when he went to a nearby apartment complex, where police believe he lives. A witness told police that they saw him leaving wearing only black pants, and he is believed to be shirtless and barefoot.The shooting is believed to be random, police said. Tazewell County Sheriff Robert Huston said his department is prepared in case Reinking returns to Illinois."At this point the young man could be anywhere, and whether he might try to return home is a distinct possibility, so our officers are definitely on alert," Huston said.The vehicle Reinking arrived in to the restaurant is registered to him, and his driver's license had a Morton, Illinois, address. Morton is located outside Peoria, about 150 miles southwest of Chicago.Early Sunday, police dogs tracked Reinking to a nearby wooded area with power line towers, police said. Police do not believe him to be armed, but said he has a propensity for guns and therefore may be armed and dangerous.Two of Reinking's four guns are missing, police said Sunday afternoon. The two missing guns include a hunting rifle and handgun.Reinking's jacket was recovered with two magazines of ammunition. Police said he came ready to do excessive damage.The Waffle House company issued a statement to ABC News:"We are deeply saddened by this tragic incident. Right now, our first thoughts are with the victims and their families, and we will be there for them in this most difficult time. We are still gathering the details, and so we do not have much information to share. While this is an active investigation, we defer all questions about the incident o the Metro Police in Nashville. Our Senior Vice President, Area Vice President, Division Manager and other members of management are on site now to assist in any way they can. We also have a corporate team on the way from Atlanta. This is a very sad day for the Waffle House family, and we ask everyone to keep the victims and their families in their thoughts and prayers."Metro Nashville Public Schools announced on Facebook Sunday that they will not allow visitors until the Reinking is caught.According to police reports released to ABC7 Chicago, Reinking had several interactions with police over the years, mostly for minor incidents.In May 2016, police were called to a CVS parking lot, where Reinking was threatening to kill himself. Family present at the time said that Reinking had delusions since 2014 involving singer Taylor Swift, whom he believed was stalking and harassing him.Reinking told officers that Swift had told him to meet her at a Morton Dairy Queen and had hacked his phone and Netflix account. Reinking also believed that his family and police were involved in the harassment, officials said.At the time, Reinking's family informed police that he was in possession of firearms, but there is no record of any action being taken to remove the guns from Reinking's possession at the time.In June 2017, Reinking exposed himself at a pool while wearing a pink woman's house coat, according to a police report. Earlier the same day, Reinking had gotten into a shouting match with a crane company employee, who said Reinking was wearing the house coat and holding an AR-15 rifle, the report said.Reinking was then arrested in July 2017 for entering a restricted area near the White House, a Secret Service official said Sunday. He was asked to leave, but declined, wanting to set up a meeting with the president. He was arrested for unlawful entry.After his White House arrest, the Tazewell County Sheriff's Department seized his weapons, later giving them back to his father, who told police that he gave them back to his son.According to an August 2017 police report, Reinking told police that he believed his computer and phone had been tapped and that people were baiting him into breaking the law.Reinking moved to Tennessee in the fall and worked in construction. He was fired three weeks ago before he was hired by another employer, who said he had last come to work on Monday and never returned.Anyone with information is asked to call police at 615-862-8600.CNN Wire contributed to this report.</s>A nude gunman has killed four people at a Waffle House in Nashville in the US state of Tennessee, police say.

The man burst into the restaurant at 03:25 (08:25 GMT) in the suburb of Antioch and opened fire with a semi-automatic rifle.

Two other people were wounded. One of them wrestled the weapon from the man, who then fled the scene on foot.

Police are hunting for the suspect, whom they identified as Travis Reinking, 29, from Illinois.He was arrested last year after entering a restricted area near the White House, Nashville police spokesman Don Aaron said.

James Shaw Jr, the customer credited with saving lives by seizing the gun from the killer, has told US media he does not feel like a hero because “it feels selfish”.

How did the attack unfold?

 Arriving in a pick-up truck, the killer shot two people outside the restaurant, before firing more shots inside, Mr Aaron saidThree victims died at the scene and the fourth in hospital.

Police say he was naked except for a green jacket, which he shed as he left the scene.

The suspect was later spotted in woodland wearing black trousers but no shirt, police say.

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.

Police released a photo of the rifle taken from him in the restaurant, which appears to be an AR-15, a weapon commonly used by mass shooters in the US.

Investigation on going at the Waffle House. Scene being processed by MNPD experts. This is the rifle used by the gunman.

Similar rifles were used in the Las Vegas shooting last October that killed 58 people, and the Florida school attack in February that left 17 students and staff dead.

Debate over gun control intensified following the Florida shooting, with mass protests and school walkouts across the country demanding stricter legislation in recent weeks.

At a press conference on Sunday, Mr Shaw said he had heard gunshots and glass smashing as people ran for cover.

He then hid in the restaurant’s toilet area but the gunman shot through the door, injuring his arm.

“It was at that time that I kind of made up my mind – because there’s no way to lock that door – that if it was going to come down to it he was gonna have to work to kill me,” he said.

When the firing stopped and the gunman was looking at his weapon, Mr Shaw rushed him and a scuffle ensued.

“I hit him with the door and the gun was kind of jammed up,” he said. “I grabbed it from him and I threw it over the counter top.”

He then forced the gunman out of the restaurant.

The 29-year-old hero from Waffle House shooting: ‘I saw the opportunity and I took it’

 James Shaw Jr, a 29-year-old man is credited with saving numerous lives after he unarmed a man who opened fire on an Antioch, Tennessee Waffle House.

Waffle House CEO Walth Ehmer praised Mr Shaw’s actions and hugged him after the press conference.

“You don’t get to meet too many heroes in life but you are my hero,” he said.

While being treated in hospital for his injury, Mr Shaw was told by a girl that he had saved her life.

I didn’t do it to be [a] hero,” Mr Shaw told The Tennessean. BBC</s>A man wearing nothing but a coat shot and killed four people and wounded at last three others at a Waffle House in a suburb of Nashville, Tennessee, police say.

Police received a call at 3:25 a.m. ET about a shooting at the Waffle House in Antioch, Tenn., a suburb of Nashville, Nashville Police Public Affairs Manager Don Aaron said.

Aaron said patrons told officers that the gunman arrived in a pickup truck, approached the restaurant and shot a couple of people before he went inside and shot a few more.

In total, six people were shot and two others also sustained injuries. When officers arrived, they found three people dead and another died later in hospital.

WATCH: Nashville police name of person of interest after Waffle House shooting



“Another patron, who had tried to flee the gunfire, saw that (the gunman) was struggling or apparently looking at his rifle. At that point the patron rushed him and was able to pull the gun away from him and toss the gun across the counter,” Aaron said.

The gunman fled the scene and then shed his jacket a few feet away, leaving himself naked, Aaron said.

The man was later spotted wearing black pants.

The shooter used an AR-15, CBS News reports.

Police later announced they were seeking to speak to Travis Reinking, of Morton, Ill., a person of interest in connection to the shooting.

Pat Warner, director of public relations and external affairs for Waffle House, told ABC News it is a “very troubling” situation.

WATCH: Nashville police searching man who shot several people at a Waffle House then fled naked.



“We are sending our corporate team from Atlanta and heading to Nashville now,” Warner said. “Our thoughts are with those affected.”

READ MORE: Woman killed, 8 worshippers injured after gunman opens fire in Nashville church

“We are sending our corporate team from Atlanta and heading to Nashville now,” Warner said. “Our thoughts are with those affected.”

The shooting occurred at a restaurant in Antioch, which is a suburb of Nashville.

In September 2017, a church in Antioch was also the scene of a shooting, where a woman was killed and eight worshippers were injured after a gunman opened fire.</s>A naked gunman walked into a Waffle House restaurant near Nasvhville and opened fire in the early morning hours of Sunday, killing four people and injuring another four.

Police have identified 29-year-old Travis Reinking of Morton, Illinois as a suspect. The vehicle the assailant arrived in is registered to Reinking, though the suspect fled the scene on foot.

“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,” Metro Nashville police spokesman Don Aaron told CNN.

Police said that the the man sat in his truck for several minutes before entering the 24-hour establishment in Antioch, Tennessee with an “assault-type rifle” and opening fire. His rampage ended when a patron wrested away his gun from him.

“He 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,” Aaron said.

Waffle House reacted to the incident on Twitter:</s>Nude gunman shoots three people at Tennessee restaurant in US

At least three people were killed and four others were injured after a nude gunman opened fire in the early hours of Sunday at a restaurant on the outskirts of Nashville, Tennessee.

As per the statement issued by the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, the shooting took place at around 3:25 AM at Waffle House in Antioch, a suburb southeast of Nashville.

One of the patron took away the gunman’s rifle and he was nude. He ran away on foot. The nude gunman was a white man with short hair.</s>NASHVILLE, Tennessee: A man who was naked but for a green jacket shot and killed three people and wounded four others at a Waffle House restaurant near Nashville, Tennessee early Sunday (Apr 22), police said.

At least one of the wounded was in critical condition at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, local media said.



The gunman was armed with what was described as an AR-15 style assault rifle walked into the restaurant in Antioch, in suburban Nashville, shortly before 3.30am. (0830 GMT).

The man "opened fire" on the patrons, the Metro Nashville Police said in a statement on Twitter. "A patron wrestled away the gunman's rifle," the statement said.

Police told CNN the man shed his jacket before fleeing on foot.

The police department said in later updates that they were looking for 29-year-old Travis Reinking as a "person of interest" in the shooting. The vehicle the gunman arrived in was registered to Reinking and a man believed to be him was last seen in a wood line wearing black pants and no shirt, they said.

Local media reported that a second shooting nearby might be connected to this incident. The public was cautioned that the man is to be considered still armed and extremely dangerous.</s>A nearly naked gunman wearing only a green jacket and brandishing an assault rifle stormed a Waffle House restaurant in Nashville early Sunday, shooting four people to death before a customer rushed him and wrestled the weapon away.

Authorities were searching for the 29-year-old suspect, Travis Reinking, who they said drove to the busy restaurant and killed two people in the parking lot before entering and continuing to fire. When his AR-15 rifle either jammed or the clip was empty, the customer disarmed him in a scuffle.

Four people were also wounded before the gunman fled, shedding his jacket.

Nashville Police Chief Steve Anderson said there was no clear motive, though Reinking may have "mental issues." He may still be armed, Anderson told a mid-afternoon news conference, because he was known to have owned a handgun that authorities have not recovered.

The AR-15 used in the shooting and the handgun were among four firearms that authorities took from Reinking after U.S. Secret Service agents arrested him last July for being in a restricted area near the White House, officials said. Special Agent Todd Hudson said Reinking was detained after refusing to leave the restricted area, later explaining he wanted to meet President Donald Trump.

State police in Illinois, where Reinking lived until last fall, revoked his state firearms card at the request of the FBI and the four guns were taken from him, authorities said. Nashville Police spokesman Don Aaron said the guns were returned to his father, who told authorities Sunday he had given the weapons to his son.

Authorities hailed the customer who intervened to stop a further bloodbath, 29-year-old James Shaw, Jr., as a hero — though the father of a 4-year-old girl demurred and said he was just trying to survive.

Shaw told reporters he first thought the gunshots fired around 3:25 a.m were plates falling from a dishwashing station.

He said when he realized what was happening, he took cover behind a door as shots shattered windows. The gun either jammed or needed a new clip, and that is when Shaw said he pounced after making up his mind that "he was going to have to work to kill me."

They cursed at each other as they scuffled, Shaw said, and he was able to grab the gun and toss it over a counter. The gunman then ran away into the dark of the working- and middle-class Antioch neighborhood of southeast Nashville.

Authorities said he shed his jacket nearby and police found two AR-15 magazines loaded with bullets in the pockets. He was seen walking, naked, on a road, officials said, but later was seen in pants after apparently returning to his apartment.

Another witness, Chuck Cordero, told The Tennessean newspaper he had stopped to get a cup of coffee and was outside the Waffle House when the chaos unfolded.

"He did not say anything," Cordero said of the gunman, who he described as "all business."

Cordero said Shaw saved lives. "There was plenty more people in that restaurant," he said.

The dead were identified as 29-year-old restaurant worker Taurean C. Sanderlin, and 20-year-old restaurant patrons Joe R. Perez, 23-year-old Akilah Dasilva and 21-year-old Deebony Groves. A police statement said Sanderlin and Perez were killed outside the restaurant, Groves was fatally shot inside, and Dasilva was critically wounded inside and later died at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Aaron, the police spokesman, said two of the wounded were being treated for gunshot wounds at the medical center, where spokeswoman Jennifer Wetzel said one was in critical condition and the other was in critical but stable condition.

TriStar Southern Hills Medical Center spokeswoman Katie Radel in Nashville said two people were treated for minor injuries and released.

Aaron said Reinking lived near the restaurant, and police used yellow crime scene tape to block public access to an apartment complex about a half-mile from the Waffle House. Reinking is originally from Morton, Illinois.

"This is a very sad day for the Waffle House family," the company said in a statement on Twitter. "We ask for everyone to keep the victims and their families in their thoughts and prayers."

Nashville Mayor David Briley described the shooting as "a tragic day" for the city.

"My heart goes out to the families & friends of every person who was killed or wounded," Briley said in an emailed statement. "I know all of their lives will be forever changed by this devastating crime."

U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper, whose district includes Nashville, said in an emailed statement that the shooting shows the need for tighter restrictions on "widespread civilian access to military-grade assault weapons."

© Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>A man who was naked but for a green jacket shot and killed at least four people and wounded at least three others at a Waffle House near Nashville, Tennessee early yesterday, authorities said.

The gunman, armed with what was described as an AR-15 style assault rifle, walked into the restaurant in Antioch, in suburban Nashville, shortly before 3:30am.

The man opened fire on the patrons, Metro Nashville Police said in a statement on Twitter, adding that “A patron wrestled away the gunman’s rifle.”

The gunman’s vehicle was registered to Travis Reinking, 29, of Morton, Illinois, who police identified as a person of interest in the shooting. Police initially reported three dead and four injured.

One of the injured died at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, said hospital spokeswoman Jennifer Wetzel. Two others still at the hospital are in critical but stable condition, she said.</s>A man who was naked but for a green jacket shot and killed three people and wounded four others at a Waffle House restaurant near Nashville, Tennessee early Sunday, police said.

The gunman was armed with what was described as an AR-15 style assualt rifle walked into the restaurant in Antioch, in suburban Nashville, shortly before 3:30 a.m. (0830 GMT).

The man "opened fire," on the patrons, the Metro Nashville Police said in a statement on Twitter.

"A patron wrestled away the gunman's rifle," the statement said.

Police told CNN the man shed his jacket before fleeing on foot.

At least one of the wounded was in critical condition at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, local media said.

Police were searching for the man early Sunday and it was unclear if he was armed with another weapon. Local media reported that a second shooting nearby might be connected to this incident. The public was cautioned that the man is to be considered still armed and extremely dangerous.
A partially naked man shoots and kills four people at a Waffle House restaurant in Antioch, Tennessee.