NASHVILLE — The gunman accused of killing four at a Waffle House was taken into custody Monday afternoon, police say, bringing an end to a tense manhunt.
Reinking was apprehended in a wooded area near Old Hickory Blvd & Hobson Road–just two miles from the scene of the crime.
Following on a tip, officers were searching the area near a trail when an officer spotted Reinking.
Police say the officer drew his weapon and ordered Reinking to the ground–he complied and was taken into custody without incident. A loaded silver handgun was found in his backpack.
Reinking also had an ID card in his wallet. Police say that’s how they identified him.
Police tweeted photos of Reinking wearing a tattered red shirt with scratches on his shoulder.
At a news conference, police said Reinking refused to talk to investigators and requested a lawyer. He will be booked on four charges of criminal homicide.
Officers will continue to comb the area for evidence.
Reinking was partially naked when the shooting occurred, wearing only a green jacket.
After sitting in a pickup truck in the parking lot for four minutes, he came out holding a semi-automatic rifle and fatally shot two people outside the Waffle House. He then went inside the restaurant and continued to fire, killing a third person and fatally injuring a fourth, who died at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, with four others being treated for related injuries. One customer who suffered a grazing wound, 29-year-old James Shaw Jr., hid near the restaurant’s bathrooms, rushed the shooter, and wrestled the rifle away.
Reinking then fled on foot, leaving behind his rifle.
‘Reinking believed Taylor Swift was harassing him. He claimed she had hacked his Netflix account, told him to meet her at a Dairy Queen, then allegedly ran from him at that location. He said he chased her to the rooftop of a building, but she was gone.’https://t.co/7gWtrpD8K5
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) April 23, 2018
JUST IN: Nashville Police Issue New Details In Waffle House Mass Shooting – https://t.co/ivFsPYEt3d pic.twitter.com/7h3hXq0HxY
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) April 22, 2018