NASHVILLE (WHDH) – Nashville police are hailing 29-year-old James Shaw Jr. as a hero after he disarmed a gunman who walked into a Waffle House in Antich, Tennesee early Sunday morning and opened fire, killing at least four people and leaving four others injured.
Shaw was at the Waffle House in Antioch, Tennessee when police say Travis Reinking, 29, walked into the restaurant semi-nude and started shooting.
Shaw said he rushed Reinking while he was reloading and managed to wrestle the gun away from him and throw it over the counter — prompting Reinking to run off.
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“And it was at that time I kind of made up my mind, because it’s no way to lock that door, that if it was going to come down to it, he was going to have to work, to work to kill me,” Shaw said during a news conference on Sunday.
“So, at the time that he was either reloading or the gun jammed, or whatever happened, is when I ran through the swivel door, I hit him with the swivel door. And then, the gun was kind of jammed up, and it was pushed down. So, we were scuffling and I managed to get him with one hand on the gun, and then I grabbed it from him and I threw it over the countertop.”
Shaw suffered minor injuries, including cuts and an injured elbow.
Police said they believe Shaw’s actions and quick thinking saved many lives.
Authorities say Reinking is still at large and could possibly be armed with two guns.
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