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James Shaw Jr. is being hailed as a hero after wrestling a gun away from a shooter yesterday at a Waffle House in Tennessee. Mr. Shaw is the first, however, to reject the title. He told the press later that he was only trying to stay alive.
“It feels selfish,” he said. “I was just trying to get myself out. I saw the opportunity and pretty much took it.”
What can’t be denied, however, is the fact that, although the shooter had already killed four, everyone else in the restaurant was saved by Shaw’s quick thinking and action. He took advantage of a pause while the shooter was reloading to charge him, tackle him, take the gun out of his hand, and throw it over the restaurant counter. (The suspected shooter was taken into custody today.)
In the aftermath of the Parkland, Fla., high school shooting and the debate on arming teachers that that tragedy has reignited, Shaw’s actions have more than symbolic value. On social media, Shaw is being celebrated as the “good guy without a gun.” No gun – just quick wits and courage.
Then later in the day, Shaw created a GoFundMe account to raise money for the families of the victims.
And as for refusing the hero label, that’s “exactly what you’d expect a real hero to say,” noted one Twitter user.
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