Waffle House shooter put in solitary cell and given an 'anti-suicide smock' to wear
The suspect of the Waffle House shooting, Travis Jeffrey Reinking, who allegedly killed four people in the eatery in Nashville, was reportedly given a green anti-suicide smock to wear on Tuesday by his jailers, according to reports.
Anti-suicide smock is a padded gown made of heavy-duty polyster that is held together with Velcro strips, and is designed to prevent the incarcerated person from making a noose out of their garment.
Reinking was arrested less than a mile away from the Waffle House restaurant on Monday after police officials launched a manhunt for him, which lasted for nearly 34-hours. He has been charged with four counts of homicide.
Davidson County Sheriff Daron Hall, during a press conference, on Tuesday said that the 29-year-old suspect, Travis Jeffrey Reinking, is likely to be wearing the smock when he makes his first court appearance on Wednesday, according to NBC News.
When the sheriff was asked whether he or any other deputies faced any trouble with him, Hall replied with: "We’ve had zero problems with him. He is alert and he is compliant." The 29-year-old, after his arrest, was transported to the Maximum Correctional Center in South Nashville. He was subsequently placed in a "72-hour medical observation" there, according to Hall.
"We have to protect him from other inmates, and that’s not easy. We have to protect him from himself," the sheriff added.
Reports state that Reinking has been placed in a single special cell, where he gets checked every 15 minutes. The suspect, in the cell, is not allowed to use anything that can be fashioned into a weapon, including cutlery.
"You’re basically eating your food out of a bag" with your hands, Hall said while describing how is it like for the suspect in the solitary cell.
The officer said that when Reinking is done with his medical and mental evaluations, then he will be shifted to another solitary cell. He will also be confined to the other cell for at least 22 hours a day, the officers said that the measure is for his own protection, according to reports.
"He will have two hours a day outside," Hall said.
The cell reportedly has a slab for Reinking to sleep on and another slab for a table, along with a toilet in the corner. Reports state that he does not have any privacy from the guards either.