CHEERS FOR MAN WHO DISARMED TENN. WAFFLE HOUSE GUNMAN
Judge revokes shooting suspect’s $ 2million bond
NASHVILLE, Tenn.— The man who snatched an AR- 15 rifle away from a gunman at a Nashville restaurant told Tennessee lawmakers Tuesday he faced “the true test of aman,” drawing a standing ovation during his brief address.
As the House hailed him as a hero, James Shaw Jr. said he acted to save his own life early Sunday at a Waffle House, and saved others in the process.
“I never thought I’d be in a room with all the eyes on me, but you know, I’m very grateful to be here,” Shaw told House members. The 29- year- old said he has since gone to see some of the shooting victims in the hospital and they all remembered him. He apologized to the people whose loved ones died in the attack.
The Senate also honored Shaw on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the co- owner of a Colorado crane company where shooting suspect Travis Reinking once worked says she urged federal officials to keep Reinking in custody after he was arrested at the White House last July.
Darlene Sustrich said: “We told them, ‘ Hang onto him if you can. Help him if you can.’”
Federal officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Davidson County Sheriff Daron Hall said Tuesday the 29- year- old suspect, Travis Reinking, has been “compliant” and “cooperative” since he was transferred to the jail late Monday.
Also on Tuesday, a Nashville judge revoked the shooting suspect’s bond.
Court records show that a judge struck Reinking’s $ 2 million bond until a hearing can be held in May.
Reinking is charged with four counts of criminal homicide. Police say he opened fire outside the Waffle House with an AR- 15 rifle and then stormed the restaurant, wearing only a green jacket. Four other people were wounded in the shooting.
Nashville Police Department Lt. Carlos Lara told reporters Reinking was arrested Monday after detectives were tipped to the suspect’s presence by some construction workers.
The arrest ended a 24- hour manhunt, but it left troubling unanswered questions about official responses to months of bizarre behavior before the restaurant attack, including encounters with police in Illinois and Colorado and an arrest at the White House that raised red flags.
Sustrich, Reinking’s former boss, described him as appearing paranoid and delusional at times. A former co- worker told a Salida, Colorado, police detective Reinking was infatuated with Taylor Swift and claimed to be a sovereign citizen.
Last July, Reinking was arrested by the U. S. Secret Service after he entered a restricted area near the White House and refused to leave, saying he wanted to meet President Donald Trump.
Reinking was not armed at the time, but at the FBI’s request, Illinois police revoked his state firearms card. Four guns, including the AR- 15 used in the shootings, were transferred to his father, a procedure allowed under Illinois law.
Tazewell County Sheriff Robert Huston said Jeffrey Reinking pledged he would “keep the weapons secure and out of the possession of Travis.” Don Aaron, a Nashville Police spokesman, said Reinking’s father “has now acknowledged giving them back” to his son.