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 people in 2018 at a Waffle House in Tennessee

ByThe Related Press

19 Could 2022, 17:42

• 3 min read

PEKIN, Unwell. -- An Illinois man faces up to three years in jail after being convicted of illegally giving his son an assault-style rifle he later used to shoot and kill four individuals in 2018 at a Waffle House in Tennessee.

A judge convicted Jeffrey Reinking last week of unlawful supply of a firearm to a person who had been treated for psychological illness throughout the previous five years, the ( Peoria) Journal Star reported. He remains free on bond pending his sentencing, which is about for June 17.

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

In Could 2016, police and fireplace personnel responded to a pharmacy parking zone in Morton the place Travis Reinking advised officers he believed singer Taylor Swift was stalking him and had hacked into his cellphone.

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

But Jeffrey Reinking’s lawyer, Kevin Sullivan, argued at trial that his shopper didn’t know his son had been treated for mental health issues on the hospital. Sullivan said he knew his son was delivered to the hospital however didn’t know why, and was not guilty of the cost.

Because the younger Reinking had his firearm proprietor’s identification card revoked by Illinois State Police, he could not legally have guns within the state. Travis Reinking surrendered his weapons to his father, who later returned them to him at some point earlier than the deadly shooting at a Waffle Home in Nashville, prosecutors mentioned.

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

Travis Reinking was sentenced in February to life in jail with out the possibility of parole after being convicted of four counts of first-degree murder and other prices. 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 showed he had schizophrenia and suffered delusions for years, believing unknown people were tormenting him. He contacted regulation enforcement several instances to report that he was being threatened, stalked and harassed.

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