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 Related Press

19 May 2022, 17:42

• 3 min read

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

A decide convicted Jeffrey Reinking final week of illegal delivery of a firearm to an individual who had been treated for psychological illness throughout the previous five years, the ( Peoria) Journal Star reported. He stays free on bond pending his sentencing, which is set for June 17.

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

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

Reports the Journal Star obtained in 2018 showed Travis Reinking was brought to a Peoria hospital for an evaluation after that incident and had agreed to go to the hospital.

But Jeffrey Reinking’s legal professional, Kevin Sullivan, argued at trial that his shopper didn’t know his son had been treated for psychological health issues at the hospital. Sullivan mentioned 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 weapons throughout the state. Travis Reinking surrendered his weapons to his father, who later returned them to him at some point earlier than the fatal taking pictures at a Waffle Home in Nashville, prosecutors mentioned.

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

Travis Reinking was sentenced in February to life in prison with out the possibility of parole after being convicted of 4 counts of first-degree murder and different costs. He opened fire 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 folks have been tormenting him. He contacted legislation 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 right into a restricted area on the White House grounds and demanded to meet with then-President Donald Trump.