Jury awards over $200 million to mother of Waffle House shooting victim
A Davidson County jury awarded over $200 million to the mother of one of the victims of a mass shooting at an Antioch Waffle House in 2018.
It's the largest personal injury judgement ever awarded in Davidson County, attorney Daniel Horwitz, representing Shaundelle Brooks, said.
Brooks filed the wrongful death lawsuit in Davidson County in July 2018 against the man convicted of the shooting, Travis Reinking, and his father, Jeffrey Reinking. The father previously settled his portion of the lawsuit, leaving his son as the remaining defendant.
It's unlikely Brooks will collect that large of a sum from Reinking as he serves a life sentence.
VERDICT: Waffle House shooting trial: Travis Reinking guilty on all counts
Brooks' son, Akilah Dasilva, was one of four people killed in the deadly shooting on April 22, 2018, when a gunman opened fire with an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle.
Travis Reinking, 33, was charged with several counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder, possession of a firearm and felony murder after the deaths of Dasilva, Taurean C. Sanderlin, 29, Joe R. Perez, 20, and 21-year-old DeEbony Groves. Several others were injured in the shooting.
Reinking was found guilty in February. A jury sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
A lawsuit filed in federal court by Dasilva's brother was settled in August 2019 against Reinking's father, Jeffrey Reinking, who handed the rifle over to his son months before the shooting despite his son's mental health issues.
The largest personal injury jury verdict in this jurisdiction’s history was just entered in favor of @Natrixdreammom against Waffle House mass shooter Travis Reinking. pic.twitter.com/eV0NfcqoVb
— Daniel A. Horwitz (@danielahorwitz) May 11, 2022
The jury Wednesday issued $106 million each in compensatory and punitive damages for a total of $212 million.
“Ms. Brooks has never stopped fighting for her son and continues to do everything in her power to prevent another mother from feeling the pain that she experiences every single day," Horwitz said. "She hopes that this historic verdict will send the message that unlawfully transferring a firearm to someone who is not authorized to possess one can result in massive liability for everyone involved, and that anyone who is considering doing that should think twice."
Contact Tennessean reporter Kirsten Fiscus at 615-259-8229 or KFiscus@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @KDFiscus.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Mother of Waffle House shooting victim awarded over $200 million
