Travis Reinking was found guilty Friday of all 16 counts in the Waffle House shooting that killed four people in Antioch, Tennessee, in April 2018.
After five hours of deliberation, a Tennessee jury found Reinking, 33, guilty of four counts each of first-degree premeditated murder, attempted first-degree premeditated murder, unlawful employment of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and first-degree felony murder. The jury will reconvene Saturday morning and is expected to decide whether Reinking will spend life in prison or have the possibility of parole, according to WKRN.
Reinking, wearing nothing but a green jacket, opened fire at a Waffle House restaurant in Antioch, a neighborhood southeast of Nashville, with an AR-15 just after 3:20 a.m. on April 22, 2018, Metro Nashville Police said. DeEbony Groves, 21, Akilah Dasilva, 23, Taurean Sanderlin, 29, and Joe Perez, 20, were killed, and four others were wounded, according to authorities.
FORMER CHICAGO OFFICER WHO SHOT LAQUAN MCDONALD 16 TIMES RELEASED
A customer at the restaurant, James Shaw Jr., managed to wrestle the gun away from Reinking, who fled the location on foot. A manhunt ensued, and police said Reinking was taken into custody 34 hours after the shooting. At that time, he was dressed and carrying a backpack that contained a pistol, ammunition, and a Bible.
Reinking admitted that he was the shooter but pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.
A couple of hours after Reinking’s verdict, Shaw posted a photo on social media showing the back of a jacket reading “Weapons will form. None will prosper.”
Isiaiah 54:17 pic.twitter.com/4Lobe42CMq
— James Shaw Jr. (@JamesShawJr9) February 5, 2022
Reinking was held on $2 million bond, but it was later revoked by a judge after a wave of criticism.
Reinking was previously detained by the Secret Service in July 2017 for being in a restricted area outside the White House, where he demanded a meeting with then-President Donald Trump, according to the Associated Press.
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Reinking’s trial was stalled after he was diagnosed with severe schizophrenia and treated at a state mental health institute. On Oct. 30, 2018, he was ruled competent by the Middle Tennessee Mental Health Institute in Nashville to stand trial.
