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 individuals in 2018 at a Waffle Home in Tennessee

ByThe Associated Press

19 May 2022, 17:42

• 3 min learn

PEKIN, Ailing. -- 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 Home in Tennessee.

A judge convicted Jeffrey Reinking last week of illegal delivery of a firearm to a person who had been treated for mental illness within the past five years, the ( Peoria) Journal Star reported. He stays free on bond pending his sentencing, which is ready 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 health therapy in 2016.

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

Experiences the Journal Star obtained in 2018 showed 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 shopper didn’t know his son had been treated for psychological well being issues at the hospital. Sullivan stated he knew his son was dropped at the hospital but didn’t know why, and was not responsible of the charge.

As a result of the younger Reinking had his firearm proprietor’s identification card revoked by Illinois State Police, he couldn't legally have guns throughout the state. Travis Reinking surrendered his guns to his father, who later returned them to him in some unspecified time in the future before the deadly shooting at a Waffle House in Nashville, prosecutors stated.

The assault-style rifle he used in that attack, an AR-15, was one of many guns 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 homicide and different fees. 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 showed he had schizophrenia and suffered delusions for years, believing unknown people have been tormenting him. He contacted legislation 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 space on the White House grounds and demanded to fulfill with then-President Donald Trump.