Dave Boucher | The Tennessean

Michael Schwab, The Tennessean

UPDATE: Metro police announced Monday afternoon that shooting suspect Travis Reinking had been arrested after a 34-hour manhunt.

The 29-year-old Illinois man accused of carrying out a fatal shooting Sunday morning at an Antioch Waffle House previously had weapons removed from his possession after a 2017 arrest near the White House.

Tennessee Bureau of Investigation

Newly obtained Illinois police records also show the suspected shooter thought he was being stalked by Taylor Swift and had previously threatened people with an AR-15 rifle.

Travis Reinking opened fire early Sunday morning at the Waffle House, killing at least four people, Nashville police say. At least four others were injured.

Nashville police said late Monday morning the manhunt for Reinking is ongoing.

Fired for being 'paranoid,' former boss says

While living in Nashville, Reinking worked in the construction business. His family owns a crane company in Illinois.

While he worked for Clark Crane, a Nashville-based company, Reinking told fellow employees that people were “after him," said a former employer.

Brentwood Police

Clark Elliott, the company’s president, said Reinking appeared normal when he spoke with him. But coworkers became concerned with his behavior within weeks of his hiring.

“In my direct interaction with him, I didn’t notice anything different,” Elliott said. “The guy was paranoid. He said people were after him – whatever that meant. When it got to the point that he said people in our company were after him, I asked that he be (fired).”

Reinking worked for Clark from Jan. 22 through April 3. He worked at a site in Maryville, a city in the Knoxville area about 185 miles east of Nashville.

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Reinking also worked one day this month for CraneWorks, a La Vergne-based company. After working Monday, April 16, Reinking did not go back to work. On April 17, police say he stole a BMW that was eventually recovered at his apartment complex.

The company declined to comment.

After White House arrest, officials decide to confiscate guns in Illinois

In July 2017, the U.S. Secret Service arrested Reinking for being in a "restricted area" near the White House, according to the Secret Service.

More on the Waffle House shooting

► Waffle House shooting: 4 dead in Antioch shooting; suspect could be armed

"He wanted to set up a meeting with the president," said Secret Service representative Todd Hudson.

After the arrest, his Illinois firearms authorization was revoked and local Illinois authorities seized four weapons.

"Among the weapons seized by those authorities was the AR-15 rifle used at the Waffle House today," said Nashville police spokesman Don Aaron at a Sunday afternoon news conference.

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Four dead in Antioch Waffle House shooting

On Aug. 24, 2017, sheriffs deputies in Tazewell County, Illinois took a state-issued card from Reinking that Illinois requires for someone to own a weapon. During a Sunday news conference streamed online, Tazewell County Sheriff Robert M. Huston said Reinking volunteered to give up his four weapons.

However, Reinking's father was present when those deputies came to confiscate the guns, Huston said. The father had a valid state authorization card and asked the police if he could keep the weapons. Deputies gave Reinking's father the weapons, Huston said.

"He was allowed to do that after he assured deputies he would keep them secure and away from Travis," Huston said, referring to Reinking's father.

Huston and Nashville Police Chief Steve Anderson said they believe Reinking's father returned the weapons to Reinking.

Anderson said he believes under Illinois law, guns seized can be returned to someone who has a valid state authorization.

Anderson said he was not immediately aware of any Tennessee law Reinking would have violated by possessing guns in Nashville.

This is not the first time Reinking's father returned weapons to his son after concerns about Reinking's state of mind.

Reinking had previously threatened someone with an AR-15, records show

In May 2016, the Tazewell Sheriff's Office responded to a call involving Reinking, according to police reports obtained by the Peoria Journal Star. Reinking told law enforcement he thought Swift was stalking him. Law enforcement took Reinking to a local hospital for an evaluation.

In June 2017, police records state Reinking threatened someone with an AR-15 while wearing a pink dress. After threatening the man, Reinking drove to a public pool and dove in before exposing himself to others at the pool, according to the reports.

When police contacted Reinking's father, the father said "awhile back he took 3 rifles and a hand gun away and locked them up when Travis was having problems. (The father) wanted to move out of state so he gave them back to (Travis)…” the reports state.

Police told Reinking's father “he might want to lock the guns back up until Travis gets mental help which he stated he would."

No one at the pool wanted to press charges, police reports states.

The next month, Reinking was arrested at the White House.

In early August, Reinking again told local law enforcement he thought he was a victim of hacking and that people were trying to get him to break the law. Later in the month, police came to take away Reinking's gun, the Illinois records show.

"(Reinking's father) was advised that he needed to keep the weapons secure and away from Travis. (Reinking's father) stated he would comply," reads a police report.

The FBI closed it's "assessment" of Reinking in October 2017, according to a statement issued Sunday.

Waffle House Update: Murder warrants are now being drafted against Travis Reinking. — Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) April 22, 2018

Police continue search for Reinking

Reinking may still have one weapon as police continue their manhunt late Sunday, Aaron said.

Police say Reinking fired a rifle through the windows of the Waffle House before entering the restaurant and continued firing.

The suspect fled the scene wearing no clothes, dropping a green coat he had worn during the shooting, police say.

Reinking was later seen wearing black pants but no shirt, police said.

A man believed to be Travis Reinking was last seen in a wood line near Discovery at Mountain View Apts. on Mountain Springs Dr. near the Waffle House. The man was seen wearing black pants and no shirt. — Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) April 22, 2018

Morton is a small town of 16,000 in Central Illinois about 400 miles north of Nashville. An Illinois television station reported Sunday the FBI is at a home in Morton that is registered to Reinking.

Aaron said Reinking moved to the Nashville area in fall 2017.

This is a developing story. Check Tennessean.com for more information as it becomes available.

Reporter Sandy Mazza contributed to this article.

Reach Dave Boucher at 615-259-8892, dboucher@tennessean.com and on Twitter @Dave_Boucher1.

Why the Waffle House shooting stories are free