Family of Waffle House shooting victim sues accused shooter's father

Credit: Mark Wallheiser

Credit: Mark Wallheiser

The family of one of the four people killed last month at a Waffle House in Tennessee is suing the father of the man accused of carrying out the shooting attack, The Tennessean reported.

Joe Perez, 20, was one of the four people killed at the Waffle House in Antioch on April 22. His family filed a civil lawsuit Monday against Jeffrey L. Reinking in Tazewell County, Illinois. According to the lawsuit, Reinking, the father of accused shooter Travis Reinking, is responsible in part for the attack. The 12-page lawsuit contends that Jeffrey Reinking gave his son several weapons even after the state of Illinois revoked Travis Reinking’s authorization to own weapons in Illinois.

The suit said that Jeffrey Reinking "knew or reasonably should have known his son's mental status was such that it could deteriorate at any time in the future," The Peoria Journal-Star reported.

Travis Reinking is accused of using an AR-15 assault-style weapon to kill four people and injure others in the early morning attack.

The lawsuit seeks "an amount more than $50,000" in damages, the Tennessean reported.

Jeffrey Renking’s attorney, Joel Brown of Peoria, did not immediately respond to a request to comment, the Journal-Star reported.

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