Manhunt Continues for Waffle House Shooter

UPDATE: Waffle House Suspected Shooter Arrested

Police continue to search for a 29-year-old suspect that killed four people and injured three more at a Waffle House near Nashville.

[UPDATE: April 23, 2018 1:30 p.m.]

Authorities say they have captured a suspected gunman wanted for killing four people at a Waffle House in Middle Tennessee. 

The Metro Nashville Police tweeted around 2:05 p.m. local time that the murder suspect was in custody. 

This is a breaking story. Please follow @SecurToday for timely updates.

Original story posted below.

Police continue to search for a 29-year-old man suspected of killing four people and injuring another four in a Waffle House outside of Nashville on Sunday morning.

The Metro Nashville Police Department said early Monday morning that there had been no "credible sightings" of the suspected gunman and after an overnight search by local, state and federal law enforcement officers.

Metro Nashville Police have also ensured that all schools in the area have been cleared of potential threats and will remain on "lockout" mode as the search continues. "Guests and visitors will not be allowed inside school buildings," school officials said.

The shooting happened at an Antioch, Tenn. Waffle House just before 3:30 a.m. on Sunday. Metro Nashville Police say the gunman was sitting in his truck for a few minutes, looking around, before he got out, clothed in only a green jacket, and immediately began shooting at customers in the parking lot.

The gunman, according to police, continued shooting as he walked inside, shattering the windows of the establishment. At one point, he stopped to reload his weapon. That's when police say a customer, 29-year-old James Shaw, lunged at the gunman and wrestled away the gun, throwing it over the counter. Shaw told local news stations that he moved the gunman out of the restaurant where he, "just walked away" from the scene.

Three people died at the scene an another died at the hospital as a result of the shooting at the Waffle House. Two people remain in critical condition at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. TriStar Southern Hills Medical Center treated and released two people with minor injuries from the shooting, a spokesperson said.

Months before the gunman became the target of a manhunt, he was arrested for trying to breach a barrier near the White House. Authorities would later seize his guns and revoke his license to carry a gun in the state of Illinois.

Under Illinois law, certain confiscated guns can be released to a family member, but the gunman could not lawfully possess the weapons in that state. Police say the guns were given to the gunman's father who then returned them to the suspected shooter. It is unclear if the weapons were lawfully possessed in the state of Tennessee.

Among the four weapons seized from the gunman was the AR-15 semiautomatic rifle that police say he used in the Waffle House on Sunday. One of the weapons - a pistol - is missing from the gunman's apartment.

Police still have no significant leads on the location of the shooter. Investigators believe the gunman went to his apartment, located less than a mile from the Waffle House and put on a pair of pants before fleeing again. He was last seen in a wooded area near the apartment complex wearing only black pants. 

About the Author

Sydny Shepard is the Executive Editor of Campus Security & Life Safety.

Featured

  • Creating More Versatility

    Today, AI has become top of mind for most security professionals. It is the topic of conversation in the technology world and continues to transform the way data is used to make important business decisions. Read Now

  • Report: 78 Percent of CISOs Seeing Significant Impact from AI-Powered Cyber Threats

    Darktrace recently unveiled its 2025 State of AI Cybersecurity report. The findings reveal that 78% of Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) surveyed say that AI-powered threats are having a significant impact on their organizations, a 5% increase1 from 2024. While an increasing number of CISOs report feeling a significant impact from AI threats, more than 60% now say that they are adequately prepared to defend against these threats, an increase of nearly 15% year-over-year. However, insufficient AI knowledge and skills and a shortage of personnel and talent continue to be listed as the two top inhibitors to a successful defense. Read Now

  • Teaching AI New Tricks

    You have probably heard that AI-enabled security cameras are evolving the role of traditional surveillance cameras, shifting the focus from passive monitoring to active problem-solving and operational insights. AI technology changes fast, so what is new can be considered only news in just a few months. Read Now

  • From the Most Visible to the Less Apparent

    The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) states “There are 16 critical infrastructure sectors whose assets, systems, and networks, whether physical or virtual, are considered so vital to the United States that their incapacitation or destruction would have a debilitating effect on security, national economic security, and national public health or safety or any combination thereof.” Read Now

New Products

  • Compact IP Video Intercom

    Viking’s X-205 Series of intercoms provide HD IP video and two-way voice communication - all wrapped up in an attractive compact chassis.

  • Luma x20

    Luma x20

    Snap One has announced its popular Luma x20 family of surveillance products now offers even greater security and privacy for home and business owners across the globe by giving them full control over integrators’ system access to view live and recorded video. According to Snap One Product Manager Derek Webb, the new “customer handoff” feature provides enhanced user control after initial installation, allowing the owners to have total privacy while also making it easy to reinstate integrator access when maintenance or assistance is required. This new feature is now available to all Luma x20 users globally. “The Luma x20 family of surveillance solutions provides excellent image and audio capture, and with the new customer handoff feature, it now offers absolute privacy for camera feeds and recordings,” Webb said. “With notifications and integrator access controlled through the powerful OvrC remote system management platform, it’s easy for integrators to give their clients full control of their footage and then to get temporary access from the client for any troubleshooting needs.”

  • Hanwha QNO-7012R

    Hanwha QNO-7012R

    The Q Series cameras are equipped with an Open Platform chipset for easy and seamless integration with third-party systems and solutions, and analog video output (CVBS) support for easy camera positioning during installation. A suite of on-board intelligent video analytics covers tampering, directional/virtual line detection, defocus detection, enter/exit, and motion detection.