Waffle House shooter's ex-bosses urged FBI to keep him in custody after White House incident
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The alleged Waffle House shooter’s former boss said she urged the FBI to keep Travis Reinking in custody and help him after the 29-year-old was arrested at the White House last year.
Reinking, who is accused of killing four people at a Waffle House in Antioch on Sunday, was arrested by the U.S. Secret Service last July when he crossed into a restricted area near the White House. He refused to leave, saying he wanted to meet President Trump.
"We told them [FBI officials], 'Hang onto him if you can. Help him if you can,'" Darlene Sustrich, the co-owner of a Colorado crane company where Reinking used to work, told the Associated Press.
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Reinking wasn’t kept in custody. Instead, the FBI requested Illinois state police revoke his state firearms card and seize four of his guns. The AR-15 used in the deadly Sunday shooting was among the firearms seized.
WAFFLE HOUSE SHOOTER ARRESTED, AFTER COPS SAY HE STOLE BMW DAYS BEFORE DEADLY RAMPAGE
The 29-year-old was charged with unlawful entry in the White House incident, Secret Service told Fox News.
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Reinking went on to exhibit erratic behavior for months, including calling police to file a report stating dozens of people were tapping into his computer and phone and another group was “barking like dogs” outside his residence, a report stated. He also thought Taylor Swift was stalking him.
Authorities also failed to capture Reinking during a police chase five days before the shooting. Reinking had stolen a BMW from a dealership in Brentwood, but police lost him when they hit heavy traffic during the chase.
Reinking faces four counts of criminal homicide after he was nabbed Monday afternoon, a day after he allegedly unleashed the hail of bullets. Authorities found the suspect after a citizen’s tip.
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The Waffle House location where the deadly shooting occurred reopened Wednesday. A spokesperson told FOX17 all the proceeds from the day will be given to the victims’ families.
Fox News’ Travis Fedschun and The Associated Press contributed to this report.