Following the deadly shooting of four people at a Nashville, Tenn., Waffle House early Sunday morning, business owners and lawmakers have tried to find ways to support the victims and survivors of the brutal attack.
Among them is the Waffle House chain restaurant, which has offered to pay for the funerals of the four patrons killed this weekend. According to TMZ, the Waffle House has also volunteered to cover medical costs for people injured during the shooting. These people died in the weekend attack: Akilah Dasilva, 23; DeEbony Groves, 21; Joe R. Perez, 20; and Taurean C. Sanderlin, 29.
On Tuesday, Tennessee state lawmakers honored the man who likely prevented even more people from dying that day. Caught in the Waffle House with the shooter, 29-year-old patron James Shaw Jr. successfully disarmed the attacker as he attempted to reload his weapon.
As The Tennessean reports, Shaw was credited with saving numerous lives, thanks to his heroic actions, which included rushing the gunman, grabbing the hot barrel of an AR-15 and disarming the shooter.
A Senate resolution lauding Shaw for his bravery unanimously passed on Monday. Senators called his courage moving and inspiring. Shaw, for his part, seems to be the only person who doesn’t consider him a hero, saying over the weekend that he was selfishly trying to stay alive.
“I distinctively remember thinking that he is going to have to work for this kill,” Shaw said Sunday, according to The Tennessean. “I had a chance to stop him, and thankfully I stopped him.”