Waffle House shooting: Suspect previously arrested outside White House

Dave Boucher | The Tennessean

Show Caption Hide Caption Police announce that the Waffle House shooter is in custody Police say Travis Reinking is in custody after a 34 hour manhunt

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

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

More: Tennessee Waffle House shooting: 4 dead, suspect at large may be armed

More: Waffle House shooting witness describes scene: 'My heart was beating, my limbs weren't working'

In 2017, the U.S. Secret Service arrested Reinking for being in a "restricted area" near the White House, according to Nashville police. After the arrest, his Illinois firearms authorization was revoked and local Illinois police seized four weapons.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.

Police believe Reinking's father received the weapons after their confiscation, and returned them to his son.

Reinking may still have two weapons as police continue their manhunt, Aaron said.

Police announced Sunday morning they are drafting murder warrants for Reinking.

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

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

More: A 29-year-old man saved numerous lives during Tennessee Waffle House shooting, police say

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.

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. He worked in the crane and construction trade, but he may have been recently fired from a job, Aaron said.

Follow Dave Boucher on Twitter: @Dave_Boucher1