Naked gunman kills four in Nashville

Four people have been killed and four more wounded after a semi-naked man attacked customers with an AR-15 rifle at a Waffle House restaurant in Nashville, Tennessee.

Witnesses say the shooting began at 3.25am local time when the suspect, identified as 29-year-old Travis Reinking, shot two people outside the restaurant, before opening fire again inside.

“He did not say anything. He pulled up, got out of his car and was all business," witness Chuck Cordero told The Tennessean.

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The shooting was thwarted when a customer inside the restaurant, 29-year-old James Shaw Jr, managed to wrestle the rifle from the shooter’s grasp before throwing it over a counter top.

Shaw suffered only minor injuries, and has been hailed as a hero for his actions.

Police say the gunman then removed his jacket and fled the scene naked, and on foot. He may have gone to his home, put on a pair of pants and then “escaped into the woods”, says CNN.

It is believed he may still have had two weapons with him, and a manhunt is continuing in the area around the restaurant.

The Guardian reports that the suspect is known to authorities, and had been arrested for being “in a restricted area near the White House” in July 2017.

The FBI says his firearms authorisation had been revoked following that arrest, and his guns had been seized. They were given to his father on condition that he not allow his son to use them.