USA TODAY International Edition
Fundraiser up for Waffle House hero’s 4-year-old daughter
NASHVILLE — In the wake of the fatal Waffle House shooting in Tennessee, a New York man launched a fundraiser for the daughter of the man many are crediting with preventing more bloodshed.
Four people were killed Sunday and several others injured at the Waffle House in the southeast Nashville neighborhood of Antioch, Tenn.
James Shaw Jr. is credited with saving numerous lives after he wrestled an AR-15 out of the hands of mass shooting suspect Travis Reinking.
Yashir Ali launched a GoFundMe ac- count Monday to help create a college fund for Shaw’s 4-year-old daughter.
As of early Tuesday afternoon, the fundraising effort had racked up more than $59,000 of its $60,000 goal in 12 hours.
Former first lady Hillary Clinton retweeted Ali’s post about creating the fundraiser.
“Part of the reason I decided to start this is James, after putting his life on the line, started a @gofundme for the victims,” Ali posted on Twitter. “He really represents the best of America and I think we should help him, too.”
On Tuesday, Tennessee state lawmakers planned to honor Shaw for his heroism.
A Tennessee Senate resolution, which unanimously passed Monday, called Shaw’s courage especially moving and inspiring. The House planned to follow suit and hear the resolution Tuesday.
State Sen. Thelma Harper and Rep. Brenda Gilmore, both Democrats from Nashville, 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.
“No matter his motivations, Mr. Shaw is indeed a hero; his actions on that fateful morning are unfathomable to most, indescribable by even the chief of police, and very poignant to the citizens of Nashville, who are deeply grateful for his brave actions in the face of extreme adversity that saved many lives,” Gilmore wrote in her resolution.
During the Sunday shooting, Shaw said he ran toward the bathroom when gunfire rang out. Then, realizing he was trapped, Shaw rushed the shooter as he was reloading, grabbed the hot barrel of the AR-15, disarmed the shooter and threw it over the counter.
“I distinctively remember thinking that he is going to have to work for this kill,” Shaw said Sunday.
Shaw suffered burns to his hand and a gunshot wound that seared his elbow.
This week, Shaw started a GoFundMe page to help the victims. He has raised more than $97,000, with a goal of $15,000.