Waffle House Hero Raises Over $40K for Shooting Victims and Their Families

Monica Sanchez | April 23, 2018
DONATE
Font Size

The 29-year-old hero who risked his own life to wrestle an AR-15 from Sunday’s Waffle House shooter is now raising money for the attack’s victims.

James Shaw Jr. created a GoFundMe page on Sunday for families of the victims of the shooting attack at a Waffle House in Antioch, Tenn., Sunday morning. On it he writes, “My name is James Shaw Jr. I am creating this page to help the families of the victims from the Shooting that took place at Waffle House in Antioch, TN. Please take the time to donate as all of the proceeds will be given to the families. Thank you again for your generosity and blessings!”

Since creating the page, Shaw has far surpassed his goal of $15,000. In just 22 hours, over 1,000 people have made donations totaling a whopping $41,301. The number continues to rise. 

The page has also been shared over 8,600 times on social media. 

Many people have commented on the page, thanking Shaw for his bravery:

“Thank you for your bravery in saving so many possible victims,” one woman wrote.

“I know you don't feel like a hero but we think you are. You were brave and unarmed and you saved lives,” wrote another.

One person even called Shaw “Nashville’s own Black Panther.”

A gunman opened fire at a Waffle House in Antioch, Tennessee, on Sunday, killing four people and injuring two others.

An unarmed James Shaw Jr. courageously charged at the gunman, wrestled the gun away from him, and threw it over the counter. He then pushed the shooter out of the door. The gunman, identified as Travis Reinking, 29, then fled the scene.

Reinking was captured Monday afternoon and it’s been reported that, much like the Valentine’s Day massacre in Parkland, authorities knew of the suspect before the shooting.  

Despite being hailed as a hero by authorities and witnesses, Shaw insists that he's "just a regular person" and "just wanted to live."

“I want people to know that I did that completely out of a selfish act,” he said at a press conference hours after the shooting. “I was completely doing it just to save myself.”

“I’m not a hero. I’m just a regular person, and I think anybody could have did what I did if they are just pushed into that kind of cage,” Shaw continued. “You have to either react or you’re going to fold, and I chose to react because I didn’t see any other way of living, and that’s all I wanted to do. I just wanted to live.”

(Cover Photo: Screenshot)

donate