Naked Gunman Kills Four At Tennessee Waffle House; Suspect Remains At Large

Four people are dead and at least seven others injured after a gunman who was naked but for a green jacket opened fire at a Waffle House in Antioch near Nashville, Tennessee early Sunday morning before a patron wrestled the gun away, Metro Nashville Police reported.

The suspect, who was armed with what was described as an AR-15 assault rifle, opened fire at about 3:25 a.m. at the Waffle House at 3571 Murfreesboro Pike. He remains at large.

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

According to The Tennessean, the suspect first fired from the parking lot, shooting two men and shattering the glass window at the front of the restaurant before going inside and continuing to pelt the restaurant with bullets. Eight people were hospitalized after the shooting, six of them with gunshot wounds. Police said that tally could have been much higher if a 29-year-old “hero” had not intervened and wrested the gun away from the suspect.

The suspect then fled on foot, nude, after shedding his coat, and remains at large, according to police. A shirtless man wearing pants who was believed to be Reinking was spotted in woods near the restaurant, police said.

The gunman’s vehicle was registered to Travis Reinking, 29, of Morton, Illinois, who police identified as a person of interest in the shooting.  Federal and local law enforcement were already aware of Reinking “due to previous interactions,” police spokesman Don Aaron said. FBI investigators were on the scene Sunday morning.

A man believed to be Reinking was last seen in a wood line near Discovery at Mountain View Apartments on Mountain Springs Drive, near the Waffle House. The man was wearing black pants and no shirt, police said.

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

Police dressed in full SWAT gear stormed into an apartment at that complex with their guns drawn later Sunday morning, screaming for by standers to “get back.”

While police do not believe the suspect is still armed but said residents in the area should lock their doors.  Local media reported that a second shooting nearby might be connected to this incident.

Three victims were transported to Vanderbilt University Medical Center. One victim died at the hospital, while one person remains in critical condition and one person is in critical but stable condition, according to hospital spokeswoman Jennifer Wetzel. Two people were taken to Southern Hills Medical Center, where they were treated for minor injuries and released Sunday morning, a spokeswoman said.

Witness Chuck Cordero, 50, had come by to grab a cup of coffee Sunday morning when he saw the suspect get out of his vehicle and open fire.

Cordero described the suspect shooting through the glass and at a man standing by the door before heading inside.

“He did not say anything,” Cordero said of the shooter. “He pulled up, got out of his car and was all business.”

“He did not say anything. He pulled up, got out of his car and was all business.” Witness tells me he fired several rounds from parking lot before entering restaurant around 3:25 a.m. pic.twitter.com/qu4sEjrAnN

— Natalie Allison (@natalie_allison) April 22, 2018

Cordero, who works at the Waffle House but was not on the clock at the time, praised the man he saw wrestle 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.”

In a statement, Mayor David Briley called it “a tragic day for our city anytime people lose their lives at the hands of a gunman.”

“My heart goes out to the families and 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. 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 the Metro Nashville Police Department as it works to find and apprehend the shooter.”

Waffle House corporate officials are on site at the restaurant Sunday morning, according to a spokesperson.

“We are deeply saddened by this tragic incident,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “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.”

Police are asking anyone who has seen Reinking to call the police’s non-emergency number immediately: 615-862-8600.