A white male dressed in a green jacket and nothing else allegedly opened fire and killed three patrons at an Antioch, Tennessee, Waffle House on Sunday morning.
The shooting occurred around 3:25 a.m.
Waffle House has a gun-free policy The chain prohibits firearms in possession of anyone but law enforcement. This means they ban the guns licensed concealed permit holders would otherwise carry for self-defense while in the restaurant.
News Channel 5 reports that the suspect, 29-year-old Travis Reinking (pictured), allegedly pulled up to the restaurant in a pick-up truck, sat in his vehicle a few minutes then emerged with a rifle and opened fire. After shooting at patrons outside the store he went inside and shot at others.
Reports indicate two to four individuals were wounded, another four were killed.
The shooting ended when a 29-year-old Waffle House patron allegedly wrestled the rifle away from Reinking.
Witnesses described Reinking as “nude,” and said he was “wearing only a green jacket and got away on foot after the patron took him down.”
Reinking was last seen near “Discovery at Mountain View Apartments on Mountain Springs Drive,” which is in the proximity of the Waffle House. His movements are being tracked by police dogs.
Waffle House’s gun-free policy is so stringent that they fired a waitress who used a gun to try to foil robbery at one of the restaurants in late December 2016.
On October 12, 2015, a concealed-carry permit holder responded to a robbery in progress at a Charleston, South Carolina, Waffle House by fatally wounding the suspect. Two days later Live5News published a statement in which Waffle House re-affirmed their gun-free policy:
We are very fortunate that no associate or customer were harmed in this tragic incident. It is Waffle House, Inc., policy not to allow firearms with the exception of law enforcement officers, including security guards. It is our understanding that the customer involved was an off duty security guard who was carrying his firearm and the incident occurred outside the restaurant.
We are well aware that different people and businesses have varying opinions regarding this issue, and we respect the right of all to have different opinions. However, we continue to believe this is the best policy for the safety of our customers and associates.
We are very thankful that no other customers or associates were hurt and will continue to work with local law enforcement as they investigate this matter.
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News, the host of the Breitbart podcast Bullets with AWR Hawkins, and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. Sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.