A nude gunman has killed four people at a Waffle House in Nashville in the US state of Tennessee, police say.
The man who has been identified as Travis Reinking, 29, burst into the restaurant at 03:25 (08:25 GMT) in the suburb of Antioch, and reportedly opened fire with a semi-automatic rifle.
Four other people were wounded. A customer wrestled the weapon from the man, who then fled the scene on foot.
Police are hunting for the suspect, and have identified a “person of interest” in the case.
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Police say he was last seen walking south on Murfreesboro Pike. “He shed is coat and is nude,” Metro Nashville PD tweeted.
Police say the gunman was naked except for a green jacket when he opened fire and shed it after the shooting.
BREAKING: Travis Reinking, 29, of Morton, IL, is person of interest in Waffle House shooting. Vehicle the gunman arrived in is registered to him. Gunman last seen walking south on Murfreesboro Pike. He shed is coat and is nude. See Reinking? Pls call 615-862-8600 immediately. pic.twitter.com/duoWCo5fC0
— Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) April 22, 2018
He was armed with an AR-15 rifle, a weapon commonly used by mass shooters in the US, according to local media.
Similar rifles were used in the Las Vegas shooting last October that killed 58 people, and the Florida school attack in February that left 17 students and staff dead.
Debate over gun control intensified following the Florida shooting, with mass protests and school walkouts across the country demanding stricter legislation in recent weeks.
Waffle House: 6 persons shot, 4 fatally (3 died at the scene, 1 at the hospital). The 2 others are being treated at Vanderbilt. Search continuing for Travis Reinking. pic.twitter.com/ioR7cVq899
— Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) April 22, 2018
Investigation on going at the Waffle House. Scene being processed by MNPD experts. This is the rifle used by the gunman. pic.twitter.com/lihhRImHQN
— Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) April 22, 2018
