Waffle House shooting hero James Shaw Jr raises more than $150,000 for victims
James Shaw Jr, the man who thwarted the Waffle House shooting in Tennessee by snatching the weapon away from the shooter's hand, launched a fundraiser in an attempt to assist the victims' families. The Waffle House shooting claimed the lives of four people, and multiple others were wounded in the incident.
Shaw, who launched the fundraiser on GoFundMe, had raised a total amount of over $150,000 by Thursday afternoon. The amount assimilated was at least 10 times more than the campaign original goal, reports state.
A Tennessee restaurant, the Antioch, has also decided to help the families of the victims. Reports state that the eatery has pledged to donate all of its proceedings for the next month to the families of living and deceased victims of the tragedy.
Another man from New York also decided to assist Shaw and launched a fundraiser, which had raised almost $165,000 from over 5,000 donors, according to reports.
Shaw was also given a tribute by the lawmakers from Tennessee for his heroism and his compassion for the victims of the tragedy.
The state General assembly also officially recognized Shaw's courage, in a joint resolution, and noted his "penchant for honesty," CNN reported.
Tennessee Representative Jason Powell, said: "You are my hero and Tennessee's hero."
Police officials said that the incident occurred early on Sunday when a gunman wearing only a green jacket opened fire outside the Waffle House diner. Shaw was reportedly sitting with a friend at the counter of the eatery when the incident unfolded.
Shawn, while recalling the incident, said that when he heard the shooting, he bolted from his seat and slid along the ground to the restroom. He then kept a lookout for the gunman and as soon as he noticed the gunman pause a little, he ambushed him.
"I figured if I was going to die, he was going to have to work for it," he told reporters on Sunday and added that he charged at the gunman and wrestled with him for nearly a minute.
Reports state that Shaw managed to take the weapon away, however, the assailant fled the scene. Shaw was left with a burn on his hand and wound on his elbow after the encounter.
Police officials then launched a 36-hour-long manhunt for the shooter, identified as Travis Reinking. The suspect was later nabbed and charged with four counts of criminal homicide, four counts of attempted murder and one count of unlawful gun possession, according to reports.