NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The civil case against accused Waffle House shooter Travis Reinking is moving forward after he failed to respond to the suit.
According to court documents, "although Travis Reinking was properly served… [he] has failed to file a timely answer to the plaintiff’s amended complaint."
Reinking is accused of killing four people in the Antioch restaurant in 2018. The family of Akilah DaSilva filed a civil lawsuit against Reinking and his father, claiming they broke laws that allowed the return of Reinking's firearms. Illinois Police revoked Reinking's gun card the summer before the mass shooting, but a deposition indicates his father allowed Reinking to take a gun before moving to Tennessee.
A judge ruled Thursday Travis Reinking is civilly liable for conspiring to get the firearms back, and will be subject to a jury trial for damages.
In November, a judge ruled in a separate lawsuit by Akilah DaSilva that Reinking is civilly liable for the death of DaSilva and will be subject to a jury trial for damages.
Daniel Horwitz, the DaSilva family’s attorney, released the following statement:
“Travis Reinking was previously found civilly liable for committing a fatal battery against Akilah DaSilva. He has now been found liable for unlawfully conspiring with his father, Jeffrey Reinking, to violate both state and federal criminal laws prohibiting the illegal firearm transfer that led to the preventable murder of four innocent people. The DaSilva family looks forward to a prompt jury trial in this matter, and they look forward to holding Jeffrey Reinking fully accountable for his own actions as well.”
A similar civil lawsuit by the family of DaSilva, and the family of victim Joe Perez are pending against Travis Reinking's father, Jeffrey Reinking.
The criminal trial for Travis Reinking has not yet been set.
