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 four people in 2018 at a Waffle House in Tennessee

ByThe Associated Press

19 May 2022, 17:42

• 3 min read

PEKIN, Sick. -- 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 four people in 2018 at a Waffle Home in Tennessee.

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

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

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

Reports 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.

However Jeffrey Reinking’s legal professional, Kevin Sullivan, argued at trial that his client didn’t know his son had been handled for mental health points on the hospital. Sullivan stated he knew his son was brought to the hospital however didn’t know why, and was not guilty of the charge.

Because the younger 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 at some point 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 the guns his father had returned to him.

Travis Reinking was sentenced in February to life in jail with out the potential of parole after being convicted of four counts of first-degree homicide and different expenses. He opened fire 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 individuals were tormenting him. He contacted law 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 fulfill with then-President Donald Trump.