Mindblown - The Insane Story of Travis Reinking [ JCS Inspired ]

up to my apartment you know and this is on my  dad's property my dad owns this property you know   but this is where I reside anyway I come in here I  come into my bathroom and I notice in my bathroom   that the toilet seat is up the  toilet seat is up on my toilet I haven't put my toilet seat up I know for  a fact that this toilet seat was down I know   for a fact that the toilet seat was down I I'd  never put my toilet seat up because I don't like   it messing up my toilet this is Travis ranking  Travis ranking was born in Morton a small town   located in Central Illinois his parents Jeffrey  and Judy raised him and his three siblings in a   middle class home Jeffrey had his own Crane Rental  Company J and J cranes Travis was homeschooled   until grade nine he attended one semester at  a local high school just to be pulled out to   continue being homeschooled due to this Travis  was never very social outside of his family after   school Travis started working for his dad's  company and even rented the apartment above   the business headquarters in Tremont Tremont is  a quite isolated area so Travis didn't have any   neighbors nearby in 2014 when Travis was about  25 four years old he started hearing voices in   his head in 2015 he began displaying clear signs  that his mental health was deteriorating further   it was about a year later in 2016 while attending  a large concert that Travis experienced something   that appeared to become the Catalyst and  Travis's more aggressive downward spiral [Music]   Travis went to see Taylor Swift live at a concert  during her performance Travis was convinced that   he had seen Taylor make eye contact and mouth  the word hello from that point on Travis was   obsessed he believed he and Taylor were now in an  exclusive relationship texting every day and even   having small fights as most couples do and so on  he even started to send Taylor letters one of them   read Taylor I'm really confused right now I don't  know if it was you in the pictures on Instagram   or if it was someone who looks like you do you  really have a twin sister if you do which one   of you am I really in love with then I want the  tailor that wrote those beautiful songs and sang   to me at her concert Maybe Taylor one wrote half  and Taylor two wrote the other half maybe I saw   Taylor one in Morton and Taylor 2 in concert who  is the girl in the music videos then at one point   Travis had claimed to have made plans with Taylor  plans for the two of them to meet at a Dairy Queen   when he arrived at the Dairy Queen he went  inside and there Taylor was and all her glory   but apparently Taylor then ran outside and climbed  to the top of the building so naturally Travis   followed her to the top of the Dairy Queen the  cops were called but no charges were placed as   no serious crime was committed it was at this  point that Travis's parents reached a level of   concern that was enough to call the police and  ask if they were able to help him Travis became   paranoid and suspicious of the people that were  genuinely trying to help him live a healthy life   regardless he reluctantly agreed to go to the  hospital and seek professional guidance after   nine days in the hospital doctors diagnosed him  with schizophrenia they gave him a handful of   medication to prevent him from experiencing  another episode but of course Travis wouldn't   take this medication as he was prescribed  statistics on men's mental health state that   men in their mid-20s to mid 30s are the most  likely demographic to develop schizophrenia   it is usually caused by a family history of the  illness or circumstantial factors like pregnancy   or birth complications or even by experimenting  with mind-altering drugs during the teen years   or early adulthood although we can't say with  absolute certainty what led to Travis developing   a form of advanced schizophrenia there is still a  likelihood that the isolation throughout his life   with a lack of early treatment certainly  Amplified his symptoms this is only the   beginning of Travis's downward spiral a couple  of months later Travis moved to Salida Colorado   from August 2016 to March 2017. Travis worked  in the crane industry thanks to a family friend   who had helped set him up with the opportunity  while working Travis would continually tell his   co-workers about his longtime girlfriend Taylor  AKA Taylor Swift he would Ramble On constantly   about all of their relationship Endeavors and  he even purchased a ring that was worth a about   fourteen thousand dollars however instead of  him being obsessed with Taylor Swift Taylor was   now obsessed with him according to Travis Taylor  now was stalking him as well as hacking into his   Netflix YouTube and Facebook accounts in order  to manipulate his personalized algorithms what   happened next is almost too bizarre to believe  without hearing for yourself 9-1-1 emergency the sheriff's office is closed  okay what do you need to report   um I have somebody stalking me around town  and I do not appreciate it I wanted to stop   and no one seems to take me seriously when I  say that okay and who is it that's stalking   you Taylor Swift okay and what is she  doing that you say she's stalking you   yeah I mean everywhere I go like they're  talking on the internet they're stalking   me like in person everywhere I go I'm pretty  sure like the police here are involved in it   and like I wanted to stop it's stupid no one  has the right to do that to me what exactly   are they doing they're getting like on my they're  doing some kind of like I don't know I don't know   exactly how they're doing it but somehow they're  like getting on my Facebook they're getting on my   YouTube they're getting on my Netflix and they're  changing the videos that I see as they pop up okay   um I'll have an officer come meet you at  your house then okay okay yeah thank you Travis left Salita Colorado after progressively  losing trust in the police that worked there he   moved back to the apartment in Tremont and began  working for his father again but the absurdity   didn't stop there just three months after he moved  back to Tremont Travis put on a pink dress and   equipped an AR-15 he then approached a worker at  jnj's Cranes while screaming he ran away drove to   a local public pool and jumped in the pool while  still wearing the pink dress when the police were   contacted due to his extremely bizarre behavior  he promptly stripped and exposed himself to the   police around the same time frame Travis filmed  this video showcasing the extent of his delusions they expect me not to be like look they're coming  in here they're doing this stuff in my apartment   and then I'm not supposed to be scared like oh  I'm supposed to accept that this happens this is   saying these people are insane I want this  to stop this is ridiculous and I'm tired of   getting worked up and I don't know why I have to  be mean to people or call people names in order to   get them to the book you know that's that's only  what word I can use it's like look I don't want   you around anymore I never did like I didn't  ever ask anybody into my apartment I've never   done that I don't want them anywhere near here  I mean this whole thing is Criminal what these   people are doing to me and then they blew it off  like it's just some game and I'm just supposed   to be okay with it when they're not even okay  with this stuff it's stupid and when you come   in here and do this stuff that just tells me  you're a [ __ ] criminal that you believe guys   are criminals and that's wrong like all guys  aren't criminals you know and I don't like you   because of the way you portrayed men you're sick  I don't want anything to do with people like that in July of 2017 Travis drove all the way to the  White House and Drew a Crowd by making a scene   he was exclaiming that he was actually a sovereign  Citizen and that he possessed the right to inspect   the White House grounds this incident resulted in  32 hours of community service in all of Travis's   weapons to be confiscated by the police the police  eventually returned all of these items to Travis's   father but he was obligated to keep them away  from Travis the next year on February 23 2018   a mother staying at a Tremont hotel with her two  children contacted the police about a man who was   screaming and had broken into her room when she  asked him to quiet down I came out here to my car   and this man down here was running up and down  these up the top and then down here screaming   at everyone's door telling them he'll make as  much noise as he wants and I looked at him I   said I have kids and they're getting ready for  bed and he was right there at that white truck   literally ran into our hotel and tried to hit me  I feel like he was going to put his hands on me   where's he at now he's down there with a man that  owns this place they're walking into the office   237. hey man what's going on how's it  going good I'm trying to get a refund okay   we just got a call that you just went in somebody  else's room no I didn't go in any one time you   got your ID on you yeah the reason I'm here  is we just got a call from I think it's room   125 that you went into the room without being  invited in basically okay were you banging on   the door or anything like that no I was she I was  walking by trying to figure out who's knocking on   my window someone's knocked on my window outside  of the building they come outside on the railway   oh right right out front of the door you know  there's no one there's no need to be standing   right in front of my door okay you know if you're  talking about it go knock on the windows and then   walk off and I don't know who it is this lady  then comes walking up and she's like what are   you doing having some sticking her nose in  his business like if you just got here I mean   apparently you had nothing to do with it but now  she wants to please people and she's like what   are you doing you know leave me alone okay are you  planning on going to a different Hotel yeah okay it's unclear if any treatment was given to  Travis at all following his initial diagnosis   and if there was any it appeared as though it  was definitely not working his schizophrenic   episodes were becoming more and more frequent and  his behavior was becoming more erratic Travis was   fired from his job in April of 2018. he quickly  found a new job and after showing up for one day   of work he never went to this workplace again in  May of 2018 Travis stole a BMW from a dealership   and went for a joyride which resulted in a brief  police chase through the streets of Tremont this   concluded with Travis abandoning the vehicle  very close to his apartment at the time officers   were unable to piece together that Travis was  responsible for the theft and subsequent car   chase so he was not arrested or charged for  this incident at 3 20 am on April 22nd 2018   Travis ranking pulled into a Waffle House parking  lot he sat in his gold Chevrolet Silverado pickle   up truck for approximately four minutes Waffle  House is a very popular late night restaurant   one of few food chains that are typically open 24  7. it is often a go-to for partygoers after having  

a night out or for people looking for a late night  snack when everything else is closed so during the   early hours of this specific Saturday at around 3  20 am the restaurant was full of customers at 3 24   am Travis exited his vehicle revealing his outfit  which was nothing at all except for a green jacket   Travis then began walking towards the Waffle  House Barefoot and partially exposed apparently   experiencing another schizophrenic episode this  time appearing far more severe Travis was carrying   an AR-15 again the one his father was told by the  court not to give him he opened fire on the two   people outside of the building the first was Joey  Perez Jr who was nearly entering the restaurant   the second was a long time Waffle House employee  and cook taurine sanderlin who was outside for   a quick smoke break both of these shootings  were fatal Travis then proceeded to unload   into the restaurant through the glass windows some  customers were able to flee into the bathroom and   in a panic to protect their own lives they locked  the doors behind them mistakenly locking out any   other customers who were also trying to escape one  woman pretended that she was deceased by Falling   between the chairs and the counter and keeping  her eyes completely closed other customers hid   behind a swinging back door including James Shaw  Jr James knew that if Travis found them hiding   in the back they made two fall victim to his  attack while Travis was reloading James seized   the opportunity he lunged at Travis and grabbed a  hold of the weapon which resulted in Burns To His   Hands the two then struggled for several moments  before James ultimately forced it out of Travis's   hands and threw it behind the counter he proceeded  to shove Travis out of the building Travis then   took off his jacket left it on the sidewalk and  ran into the woods nearby four people were killed   in this shooting investigators were able to  quickly link this attack to Travis due to a   plethora of surveillance footage as well as victim  statements a Manhunt for Travis ranking quickly   began an intense Manhunt is underway for a gunman  who opened fire early today at a Waffle House   near Nashville Tennessee at least four people are  dead two others are critically wounded the gunman   was half-naked and armed with a semi-automatic  assault style rifle Travis managed to get back   to his apartment shower changes clothes and pack  a getaway bag which included a single handgun   law enforcement immediately advised the local  community that there was a dangerous criminal   on the loose they advised everybody to lock the  doors and to stay inside while this Manhunt was   underway Travis ranking was quickly placed in  the top 10 of the FBI's most wanted list and   investigators used every resource available to  attempt to locate him within the days following   the attack including the assistance of the K-9  unit after approximately 36 hours a phone call   was received by a potential witness number one  what's the address of your emergency there's a   man that just walked through my job dark pants  dark shirts wearing a backpack from a distance   it looks like this guy he's got mud all over him  he's a white male who looks at about maybe five   ten six foot he's wearing dark pants a dark shirt  and a black backpack about four months after the   Waffle House attack in August of 2018 Travis  was evaluated by a team of professionals that   found him to be unfit to stand trial the case was  then put on hold for months after the attack while   ranking was being treated for schizophrenia  a judge then later deemed him fit for trial   Travis was facing 6 16 charges four counts of  first degree premeditated murder four counts of   attempted first degree premeditated murder four  counts of unlawful employment of a firearm during   the commission of a felony and four counts of  first degree felony murder Travis's trial began   about three and a half years later in early 2022  in Travis ranking pled not guilty to all of the   counts due to reason of insanity one of the most  notable testimonies from this trial would be that   of James Shaw Jr the man who single-handedly  stopped the attack and disarmed Travis   um and the cook is the other cook after touring  stepped out the other cook is washing dishes and   as he's washing these dishes we're just looking  at him because he's stuck a number on the shelf   and he keeps snapping and stacking them and I  guess they had to be at least 12 or 15 plates   high and we're like those plays are gonna  come down they're gonna crash to the ground   so we have a small little joke about that mind  phone is on the counter top of the of the bar no sooner do we start joking  and laughing about that   you know you kind of hear a noise I didn't really  pay attention and I kind of turn up my left hand   shoulder and you can see this figure kind of  falling now that I know that's Joe Perez and then   the windows are shot out it looks like a  silver glitter is going through the air   um was there ever a pause in the gunshots yes it  was what what did you do when you heard the pause I acted what do you mean by that um there was a voice that told me to do  it do it now and I acted upon that voice   because I didn't see any other way that's why they  go in the bathroom because I thought myself that's   like shooting shooting fish in a in a barrel  literally so I wanted to stay outside that door   uh try to keep eye on him and just try to  find my moment just try to find my opportunity   and then presented itself on February 4th 2022 a jury found Travis ranking  guilty of all charges and he was sentenced to four   counts of life in prison without the possibility  of parole Jeffrey ranking also faced charges in   Illinois over accusations that he provided his son  with the rifle used in the shooting he pled not   guilty however he later admitted to opening the  safe where the guns were stored ultimately Jeffrey   ranking was found guilty after filing a motion  to reconsider his sentencing has been delayed and   after the events that took place on April 22nd  2018 James Shaw Jr was honored for his bravery you were confronted with the most unspeakable evil  imaginable and you acted with the utmost honor   heroism imaginable and I want to say James Shaw Jr  that you are my hero and you're a Tennessee's hero um I do once again um I apologize to the to  the people that lost uh loved ones uh friends   or family James also started a GoFundMe for  the funerals of the victims he raised over 215   000 Travis ranking currently resides at  the Morgan County Correctional Complex foreign

2023-02-13 10:20

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