Waffle House Shooter’s Father Denies LEOs Told Him To Keep Guns From Son

On April 22, 2018, around 3:00 a.m., a practically naked mass shooter with an AR-15 entered a Waffle House in Nashville and opened fire. In 42 seconds he killed four people and injured four more. The shooting was stopped by a hero – an “ordinary” guy – who refused to be a hapless victim. This man, James Shaw Jr., rushed the shooter and tore his rifle from his hands. The shooter fled. A fantastic summary of the shooting can be found here.

After the shooting it was widely reported that the shooter’s family had been directed by law enforcement to prevent his access to firearms (the father reportedly had given the shooter his AR-15 months before the shooting). A civil suit followed against not only the shooter but also his family on the theory that the did not act to prevent the shooter’s ability to harm others after the shooter’s right to possess weapons had been revoked.

As reported by the Tennessean, the father responded to the lawsuit by denying he was instructed not to return the guns to his son or that his son was prohibited from having firearms.

This will be an interesting case to watch for both its civil and criminal implications for the shooter’s family members.