On Sunday, April 22, a tragic shooting took place inside a Waffle House in Tennessee. Now local hero James Shaw Jr. has received a shout out from UFC President Dana White for his part in disarming the gunman.
As reported by CNN, Shaw Jr. charged the shooter and wrestled the gun away from his grasp. The shooter then fled the scene. Shaw Jr. suffered an injury in the process, as the man burned his hands from grabbing the weapon and suffered a grazed wound from a fired round.
Alleged shooter Travis Reinking is now in police custody following a shooting that left four Waffle House patrons dead. Reinking now faces four counts of criminal homicide, four counts of attempted murder and one count of unlawful gun possession in the commission of a violent felony.
Following the incident, Shaw Jr. began a GoFundMe campaign to assist the families of the four victims. As of the time of this writing, the fundraiser has garnered a massive total of $183,652. Tennessee lawmakers have since paid tribute to Shaw Jr. for his act of heroism.
The state General Assembly officially recognized his heroism. Beyond that, Rep. Jason Powell stated “You are my hero and Tennessee’s hero.”
Check out UFC President Dana White’s react to the news within the Instagram post below:
