Illinois man convicted of giving son rifle he used to kill 4

An Illinois man faces as much as three years in prison after being convicted of illegally giving his son an assault-style rifle he later used to shoot and kill 4 individuals in 2018 at a Waffle Home in Tennessee

ByThe Related Press

19 Might 2022, 17:42

• 3 min learn

PEKIN, Ill. -- An Illinois man faces as much as three years in prison after being convicted of illegally giving his son an assault-style rifle he later used to shoot and kill 4 folks in 2018 at a Waffle Home in Tennessee.

A choose convicted Jeffrey Reinking last week of unlawful supply of a firearm to an individual who had been treated for psychological illness throughout the past 5 years, the ( Peoria) Journal Star reported. He stays free on bond pending his sentencing, which is about for June 17.

Throughout Reinking's Could 13 bench trial, Tazewell County prosecutors argued that the rural Morton, Illinois, man knew his son, Travis Reinking, had undergone mental health therapy in 2016.

In Might 2016, police and hearth personnel responded to a pharmacy car parking zone in Morton where Travis Reinking told officers he believed singer Taylor Swift was stalking him and had hacked into his cellphone.

Reviews the Journal Star obtained in 2018 showed Travis Reinking was dropped at a Peoria hospital for an analysis after that incident and had agreed to go to the hospital.

But Jeffrey Reinking’s attorney, Kevin Sullivan, argued at trial that his shopper didn’t know his son had been treated for psychological well being points at the hospital. Sullivan mentioned he knew his son was dropped at the hospital however didn’t know why, and was not guilty of the cost.

Because the youthful Reinking had his firearm proprietor’s identification card revoked by Illinois State Police, he could not legally have weapons throughout the state. Travis Reinking surrendered his weapons to his father, who later returned them to him in some unspecified time in the future earlier than the deadly capturing at a Waffle House in Nashville, prosecutors said.

The assault-style rifle he used in that assault, an AR-15, was one of many weapons his father had returned to him.

Travis Reinking was sentenced in February to life in jail without the potential of parole after being convicted of four counts of first-degree murder and different costs. He opened fireplace inside the restaurant on April 22, 2018, killing Taurean Sanderlin, 29; Joey Perez, 20; Akilah Dasilva, 23; and DeEbony Groves, 21.

Proof at Travis Reinking's trial confirmed he had schizophrenia and suffered delusions for years, believing unknown folks had been tormenting him. He contacted regulation enforcement a number of times to report that he was being threatened, stalked and harassed.

In July 2017, he was detained by the Secret Service after he ventured unarmed right into a restricted area on the White Home grounds and demanded to meet with then-President Donald Trump.