Travis Reinking and the 2018 Nashville Waffle House Mass Shooting
Overview
In the early morning hours of April 22, 2018, 29-year-old Travis Jeffrey Reinking opened fire with a Bushmaster XM-15 (AR-15–style) rifle at a Waffle House located at 3571 Murfreesboro Pike in the Antioch neighborhood of Nashville, Tennessee. Four people were killed and two others were shot before an unarmed patron, James Shaw Jr., wrestled the rifle away and stopped the attack. Additional patrons were injured by broken glass during the chaos. Reinking fled on foot and was captured the next day following a large manhunt.
The Attack: Minute-by-Minute
At approximately 3:25 a.m. CDT, Reinking—wearing only a green jacket—waited outside in a pickup truck, then emerged and fatally shot two people in the parking lot. He entered the restaurant and continued firing, killing a third victim and mortally wounding a fourth who later died at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Witnesses reported about 30 total shots (roughly half outside, half inside). As Reinking paused—either to reload or clear a jam—James Shaw Jr. rushed him, grabbed the hot barrel (suffering burns and a bullet graze), and disarmed him, likely preventing further deaths.
Victims
- Taurean C. Sanderlin, 29 — Waffle House employee; killed at the scene in the Antioch parking lot on April 22, 2018.
- Joe R. Perez, 20 — Recently moved to the area; killed during the shooting on April 22, 2018.
- Akilah “Natrix Dream” DaSilva, 23 — Music video producer/artist; shot at the restaurant and later died at Vanderbilt University Medical Center on April 22, 2018.
- DeEbony LaShea Groves, 21 — Belmont University student; killed during the attack on April 22, 2018.
...Read More
Account
