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

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 4 folks in 2018 at a Waffle Home in Tennessee

ByThe Related Press

19 Might 2022, 17:42

• 3 min read

PEKIN, Sick. -- 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 4 individuals in 2018 at a Waffle House in Tennessee.

A judge convicted Jeffrey Reinking final week of unlawful delivery of a firearm to a person who had been handled for psychological sickness throughout the previous 5 years, the ( Peoria) Journal Star reported. He stays free on bond pending his sentencing, which is about for June 17.

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

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

Experiences 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 lawyer, Kevin Sullivan, argued at trial that his consumer didn’t know his son had been handled for mental well being issues at 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 youthful Reinking had his firearm owner’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 before the deadly shooting at a Waffle Home in Nashville, prosecutors said.

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

Travis Reinking was sentenced in February to life in prison without the potential of parole after being convicted of 4 counts of first-degree homicide and different costs. He opened fireplace contained in 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 have been tormenting him. He contacted regulation enforcement a number of 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 right into a restricted space on the White Home grounds and demanded to meet with then-President Donald Trump.