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

An Illinois man faces as much as 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

ByThe Related Press

19 Might 2022, 17:42

• 3 min learn

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 individuals in 2018 at a Waffle Home in Tennessee.

A choose convicted Jeffrey Reinking final week of illegal delivery of a firearm to a person who had been treated for psychological illness inside the past five years, the ( Peoria) Journal Star reported. He remains free on bond pending his sentencing, which is about for June 17.

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

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

Stories 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.

But Jeffrey Reinking’s attorney, Kevin Sullivan, argued at trial that his shopper didn’t know his son had been handled for psychological health issues 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 youthful Reinking had his firearm proprietor’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 sooner or later before the deadly shooting at a Waffle Home in Nashville, prosecutors said.

The assault-style rifle he used 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 without the opportunity of parole after being convicted of 4 counts of first-degree murder and different fees. He opened fireplace 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 showed he had schizophrenia and suffered delusions for years, believing unknown individuals have been 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 into a restricted space on the White Home grounds and demanded to meet with then-President Donald Trump.