What to expect from Reinking’s court date

Travis Reinking, the suspect in the April 22 shooting that killed four people at an Antioch Waffle House, is scheduled to appear in court Monday, though major developments in the case are likely weeks away.

Reinking’s court appearance is the opening salvo in one of the city’s highest profile criminal cases — one that drew the attention of the White House and media outlets around the world. But this phase is expected to be mostly procedural.

It is not clear if Reinking, 29, will appear in court.

Early court dates like this one can center around scheduling more substantive future hearings. Attorneys might set a date for a preliminary hearing, when prosecutors would give a preview of their case against a suspect.

Reinking is being held without bond, an issue his attorney, a public defender, might challenge in court. A spokeswoman for the public defender’s office declined to answer questions about the case or Monday’s hearing.

Police quickly identified Reinking as a suspect in the early-morning shooting at the Waffle House on Murfreesboro Pike. He parked his pickup truck outside the restaurant around 3:19 a.m. and waited a few minutes before getting out and opening fire using an AR-15-style rifle, according to police.

Police said Reinking fired 30 rounds before Waffle House customer James Shaw Jr. intervened and wrested the gun away from him. After Shaw threw the gun behind the counter, Reinking fled the scene on foot completely naked, dropping a green bomber jacket with more ammunition in the pockets.

Reinking is charged with criminal homicide in the deaths of Taurean C. Sanderlin, 29; Joe R. Perez, 20; DeEbony Groves, 21; and Akilah Dasilva, 23. He also faces four counts of attempted homicide and one count of using a firearm while committing a dangerous felony.

Shaw has been lauded as a life-saving hero in the aftermath of the shooting — police said many more could have been killed or hurt if he hadn’t intervened.