A young man who ended a deadly rampage in a Tennessee diner by wrestling away the gunman’s assault rifle has been hailed as a hero whose bravery prevented further deaths.
James Shaw Jr, 29, was eating with a friend at the Waffle House in Antioch, near Nashville, after leaving a nightclub in the early hours of Sunday morning when he heard gunshots in the car park outside.
Moments later, the gunman - naked except for a jacket and carrying an assault rifle - burst into the restaurant.
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The shooter, later identified as 29-year-old Travis Reinking, opened fire on terrified diners, killing four. After the initial burst of fire, there was a pause.
Shaw noticed the gunman looking at his weapon and guessed that it had jammed. He rushed the attacker and wrestled for control of the firearm.
He was “grazed by a bullet on his elbow while grappling with the gunman”, CNN reports, and badly burned his right hand on the recently fired barrel. Finally, he was able to seize the rifle and throw it out of reach, prompting the shooter to flee.
The father-of-one, who works as a wireless engineer for telecommunications firm AT&T, said instinct took over.
“I knew I had it in me, but I don't have any specific combat training. I fight my daughter every night to get her to bed,” he said.
Appearing at a press conference with a bandaged hand, Shaw “downplayed those praising him as a hero”, ABC reports.
“I was completely doing it just to save myself,” he told reporters. “I figured if I was going to die, he was going to have to work for it.”
He added: “I don't want people to think that I was the Terminator or Superman or anybody like that.”
However, mayor of Nashville David Briley led official tributes to Shaw. “Thrown into crisis, he acted with courage,” Briley said. “He saved lives - that is certain, and we are all thankful to him for his bravery.”
A manhunt is underway to apprehend Reinking, who reportedly suffers from delusions.
Meanwhile, Shaw has created GoFundMe fundraising page to raise money for the victims of the shooting. Within nine hours, the page has already raised more than $12,000 of its $15,000 goal.
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