Hero in Waffle House shooting starts fundraiser for victims' families

Updated

The man who stopped a gunman who opened fire inside of a Tennessee Waffle House early on Sunday morning has started a fundraiser to benefit the victims' families.

James Shaw Jr. was hailed a hero after he tackled suspected gunman Travis Reinking, 29, when he briefly paused his attack to reload his assault rifle, having already killed four people.

Waffle House shooting suspect Travis Reinking:

Although police and civilians alike have lauded Shaw for his courage and quick thinking during the incident, he has already rejected the notion that his actions earned him the title of "hero."

"I was doing it just to save myself," he said during a press conference. "My doing that, I did save other people, but I don't want people to think I was the Terminator or Superman or anybody like that."

"It feels selfish. I was just trying to get myself out. I saw the opportunity and pretty much took it."

Though he may deny it, Shaw's heroism continued on Monday when he started a GoFundMe page to benefit the families of the victims who perished in the violent incident.

"My name is James Shaw Jr. I am creating this page to help the families of the victims from the Shooting that took place at Waffle House in Antioch, TN," he wrote on the fundraising site. "Please take the time to donate as all of the proceeds will be given to the families. Thank you again for your generosity and blessings!"

As of Monday afternoon, Shaw's fundraiser had already received over $36,000 in donations, smashing through its $15,000 goal.

These are the victims of the Waffle House shooting:

As fate would have it, Shaw was not even supposed to be in the Antioch, Tenn, restaurant when Reinking unleashed his attack.

Shaw said that his best friend wound up at the location after another franchise was too crowded to serve them.

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