INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Washington: US police hunted a semi-nude gunman who shot four people dead at a waffle restaurant Sunday after
he fled from a "hero" who disarmed him.Police in the Tennessee city of Nashville said the suspect in the country's latest mass shooting may
have had "mental issues," and the incident led the city's mayor to issue an unusually blunt call for "comprehensive gun reform."The Metro
Nashville Police Department said Taurean Sanderlin, 29, Joe Perez, 20, and Deebony Groves, 21, were shot dead at the all-night Waffle House
restaurant in the suburb of Antioch at 3:25 am (0825 GMT).The fourth victim, 23-year-old Akilah Dasilva, died in hospital.Meanwhile Shanita
Waggoner, 21, and Sharita Henderson, 24, were wounded and taken to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville. Waffle House
discusses the deadly Waffle House shooting (AFP)Police identified the suspect as 29-year-old Travis Reinking and said he could be armed with
a rifle and a handgun, after firing an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle at the restaurant, where he was nude except for a green jacket.A
military-style weapon, the AR-15 has been regularly used in US mass shootings.James Shaw, 29, told a press conference that he and his friend
had sat down in the diner after visiting a nightclub, when they thought a pile of plates had crashed."I saw the Waffle House employees
Then I looked back and I saw a person laying on the ground right at the entrance of the door," said Shaw, wearing a brown suit jacket and
with his right forearm bandaged.Shaw said he slid from his table and moved toward the door, which the gunman was trying to enter after
apparently firing through the glass. Law enforcement stand outside a Waffle House where four people were killed (AFP)"I'm pretty sure he
grazed my arm," said Shaw."I kind of made up my mind, because there's no way to lock that door, that if it was gonna come down to it, he was
gonna have to work to kill me."As the shooter was either reloading, or the weapon jammed, Shaw ran and hit him with the swivel door, leading
to a scuffle."I managed to get him with one hand on the gun, and then I grabbed it from him and threw it over the countertop," before
getting the suspect outside, Shaw said.Police said they believe the gunman discarded the jacket while fleeing to his home, where he put on a
pair of pants and then disappeared into nearby woods.Guns were confiscated It was the second shooting in months to traumatize Nashville, but
only the latest of many in the US with large casualties.A grassroots campaign featuring mass rallies for gun control has emerged since
February, when a former student opened fire with an AR-15 at a Florida high school, killing 17 students and staff.After that attack,
businesses including Walmart and Dick's Sporting Goods took measures to restrict access to firearms but there has been no major legislation
to control guns. The suspect behind the deadly Waffle House shooting was identified as 29-year-old Travis Reinking (AFP)In September, a
25-year-old killed one person and wounded six others during Sunday services at a church in Nashville, which prefers to be known for its
country music heritage.That was just one of the more than 30,000 gun-related deaths annually in the United States."We need comprehensive gun
reform to address mass shootings, domestic shootings, accidental shootings and homicides," Nashville Mayor David Briley told the press
conference.He said these "weapons of war" should be removed from the nation's streets."It's happening too much
Enough is enough," Briley added.The mayor hailed Shaw's courage, as did Nashville Police Chief Steve Anderson and Waffle House CEO Walt
Ehmer."You don't get to meet many heroes in life, Mr
You saved people's lives," Ehmer told him."We're forever in your debt."Nashville police spokesman Don Aaron told reporters that Reinking,
originally from Illinois, had been arrested by the US Secret Service for being in a restricted area near the White House in July 2017.At
that time, his Illinois firearms authorization was revoked and his weapons -- including the AR-15 -- were seized.But local authorities in
Illinois later returned them to Reinking's father, "who has now acknowledged giving them back to his son," Aaron said.(Except for the
headline, this story has not been edited by staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
