The family of one of the victims killed in a shooting at a Tennessee Waffle House earlier this year filed a $100 million wrongful death lawsuit on Wednesday against the suspected shooter and his father, the Tennessean reported.
The paper reported that the mother of 23-year-old Akilah DaSilva has accused both Travis Reinking, the suspect who police say killed four people with an AR-15 style rifle, and his father of “unconscionable conduct” related to the April 22 shooting.
{mosads}Travis Reinking’s father, Jeffrey Reinking, is accused in the suit of providing weapons to his son, despite authorities having revoked Travis Reinking’s state firearms authorization in 2017. The suit is the second filed against Travis Reinking and his father since the attack.
“As a consequence of Jeffrey Reinking’s gross negligence and grotesque recklessness, Mr. DaSilva was brutally and senselessly murdered,” reads a court filing obtained by the Tennessean.
“The purpose of this lawsuit is to honor my son’s beloved memory, hold those responsible for his death fully accountable, and help ensure that nobody else’s family ever has to experience the sorrow and horror that we have,” DaSilva’s mother, Shaundelle Brooks, added in a statement from her attorney.
The shooting is credited with being stopped by bystander, James Shaw Jr., who wrestled the gun out of the suspect’s hands. Nationally known as the “Waffle House hero,” Shaw went on to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for the victims and their families in a GoFundMe campaign.
Travis Reinking has been charged with four counts of homicide and remains in police custody. His father, who lives in Illinois, has not been charged with a crime but is being served with the lawsuit at his home, according to the paper.