NASHVILLE — The gunman accused of killing four at a Waffle House was taken into custody Monday afternoon, bringing an end to a tense 34-hour manhunt.
Travis Reinking, 29, 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.
The Metro Nashville Police Department 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 was taken to a hospital for evaluation and will be booked on four charges of criminal homicide.
Officers will continue to comb the area for evidence.
Earlier in the day, officers recovered a laptop bag, which was empty except for a handwritten ID card bearing the name Travis Reinking. It was found by a citizen near the I-24 Old Hickory Blvd interchange.
It is unknown whether the bag was discarded before or after the shooting.
Reinking was partially naked when the shooting occurred early Sunday, 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.
A motive for the attack remains unknown.
