The suspect in the shooting at a Nashville-area Waffle House was arrested by the U.S. Secret Service last year for being in a restricted area outside the White House, law enforcement said Sunday.
Todd Hudson, special agent in charge with the Secret Service’s Nashville office, said the suspect — identified by police as 29-year-old Travis Reinking — was arrested outside the White House in July.
He was subsequently charged with unlawful entry after crossing a security barrier near the White House complex, Hudson said. He reportedly wanted a meeting with President Trump.
The Secret Service provided information regarding Reinking’s arrest with local law enforcement, as well as the FBI, according to Hudson.
Following his arrest, Reinking, of Morton, Ill., was interviewed by the FBI and local law enforcement in Tazewell County, Ill., in relation to his presence on the premise of the White House, Don Aaron, spokesman for the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, told reporters.
Reinking’s firearms authorization was subsequently revoked at the FBI’s request, and law enforcement in Tazewell County seized four weapons, including an AR-15 rifle allegedly used in the shooting at the Waffle House on Sunday.
The guns, though, were given back to Reinking by his father, who acknowledged returning them to his son, Aaron said.
Two of the guns, including the AR-15, have been recovered by police following the shooting, but the other two are unaccounted for.
Police believe Reinking, wearing nothing but a green jacket, opened fire at the Nashville Waffle House around 3:23 a.m. Sunday. Four people were killed and at least seven were injured.
Police credit a customer at the Waffle House, identified as James Shaw Jr., for rushing the gunman when he looked down at his rifle.
“He is the hero here, and no doubt he saved many lives by wrestling the gun away and then tossing it over the counter, prompting the man to leave,” Aaron said.
Reinking remains at large, and Nashville police said they were drafting murder warrants against Reinking.
Aaron urged Nashville-area residents to keep their doors locked and remain on the lookout for the suspected gunman, who is believed to be semi-nude.
