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Tennessee lawmakers to honor Waffle House shooting hero

Posted at 7:18 AM, Apr 24, 2018
and last updated 2018-04-24 07:37:52-04

Some Tennessee lawmakers have filed resolutions to honor Waffle House shooting hero James Shaw, Jr. 

Shaw was able to grab the AR-15 away from accused mass murderer Travis Reinking on Sunday morning. He was grazed by a bullet and his hands were badly burned from grabbing the barrel of the rifle.

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In the hours following the attack, Shaw began doing what he could to help the victims, including starting a GoFundMe account

His goal was to raise $15,000 and it's already hit $76,000. He said the money will go to help with funeral costs for the four killed and help pay medical bills for survivors.

Shaw also went to Vanderbilt University Medical Center to see one of those survivors and meet the families.

Many have expressed their gratitude and called Shaw a hero – now lawmakers want to put that in writing.

So far, Sen. Thelma Harper and Rep. Brenda Gilmore have both filed resolutions, with Gilmore saying “if his heroism is equaled by anything, it is Mr. Shaw's penchant for honesty; he later asserted that his actions were purely selfish and that he was only trying to stay alive, but everyone else disagrees.”

A ceremony honoring him has been scheduled for 11 a.m. local time on the House floor. 

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