Key witnesses are named in Travis Reinking case
Prosecutors have identified eight key witnesses they might call to testify against Travis Reinking, the suspect in the mass shooting that killed four people at an Antioch Waffle House.
A witness list was included in an indictment from the Davidson County grand jury this month that charged Reinking on 17 counts, including four counts of first-degree premeditated murder.
Four survivors of the shooting were on the list: James Shaw Jr., Kayla Shaw, Sharita Henderson and Shanita Waggoner. Their inclusion suggests the state will rely on witnesses’ descriptions of the shooter during the 42 seconds of chaos on April 22, when bullets flew through the busy restaurant.
Also on the list are lead police detective Desmond Sumerel an emergency dispatcher and two doctors from the medical examiner’s office.
The witness list is not definitive and likely will change or grow as the case moves closer to trial. But it is the clearest picture yet of the state’s strategy in one of the highest profile cases in the city’s history.
Reinking, 30, will be arraigned on the 17 criminal charges next week, when he or his attorney is expected to enter a plea, officially starting the proceedings in criminal court.
Reach Adam Tamburin at 615-7265986 and atamburin@tennessean.com. Follow him on Twitter @tamburintweets.