| James Shaw Jr. | |
| Birth Place: | Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Education: | Brightwood College Tennessee State University |
| Occupation: | Electrical technician |
| Employer: | AT&T |
| Known For: | Disarming the gunman and saving lives during the Nashville Waffle House shooting |
| Children: | 1 |
| Awards: | BET Humanitarian Award (2018) |
James Shaw Jr. is an American electrical technician. Shaw is known for disarming a gunman armed with a Bushmaster XM-15 during the 2018 Nashville Waffle House shooting in Antioch, Tennessee, potentially saving lives as a result.[1]
James Shaw Jr. was born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee. He attended Hunters Lane High School.[2] Shaw graduated from Tennessee State University.[3] He has a daughter.
Shaw began working in the electrical field at the age of 18. In an interview, Shaw stated that "... I've been destroying stuff and putting it back together since I was a little kid. I would take stuff apart and just hope I could reassemble it." He began working at AT&T as a wire technician after graduating from Tennessee State University. At AT&T, Shaw installs internet, television, and phone connections in residences. He also manages his own company, Imount Electric.
Shaw and his friend BJ McMurry went to the Waffle House on the Murfreesboro Pike in the Nashville suburb of Antioch at 3a.m. CDT. 25 minutes later, he heard a loud pop and a window breaking, which he thought was dishes crashing, but after two more pops and more glass shattering, Shaw realized the sounds were gunshots.
When the shooting started, Shaw looked toward the main entrance and saw a person lying on the ground. He and McMurry sprinted toward the restroom, and McMurry and four other patrons took cover. After a bullet grazed his elbow, Shaw realized there was no exit or any way to lock the restroom hallway door.
When Shaw saw the gunman point the rifle down, either to reload or fix a jam, he lunged at the gunman and wrestled the weapon away from him before tossing it over the counter, sustaining second-degree burns from grabbing the hot rifle barrel. The two scuffled before the gunman fled on foot naked after abandoning his jacket. The gunman was captured by police a day later after a manhunt lasting almost 24 hours.[4]
While four people died in the attack (Akilah DaSilva, DeEbony Groves, Joe Perez and Taurean Sanderlin), it is likely that Shaw's action saved the lives of more restaurant patrons. Afterwards, he established a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for the families of the four victims. Total donations raised by Shaw surpassed in early May 2018.[5] While he has been described as a hero by numerous people, including Tennessee authorities, he has said that he does not think of himself in those terms:[6]
Shaw was honored by the president of Tennessee State University who praised Shaw for his "bravery and courage" and for saving many lives.[7] He was honored by Tennessee lawmakers who passed a joint resolution honoring Shaw's actions.[8] He appeared on national cable TV news shows and was honored at a game featuring the Nashville Predators. Shaw appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show where he met NBA basketball star Dwyane Wade.[9] The Steve Harvey Show sent him on a trip to the island of Barbados. In April 2018, Waffle House tweeted "Yes. We will be doing things for Mr. Shaw. Details have not be finalized yet!".[10] Details were not revealed.
In May 2018, Shaw met with X González, who survived the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and anti-gun activist who helped to found Never Again MSD. González had previously called Shaw "my hero" in a tweet. Together, along with survivors and activists David Hogg, Alex Wind, and Jaclyn Corin among others, the whole group united for a special brunch at a local Denny's in suburban Nashville. [11] Tennessee State University set up a scholarship fund in his name.[12] [13] The following month, at the 2018 MTV Movie & TV Awards, after Chadwick Boseman won an award for "Best Hero" for his work in Black Panther,, but made a statement saying "Receiving an award for playing a superhero is amazing, but it's even greater to acknowledge the heroes that we have in real life" before called Shaw up to the stage and gave him the award saying "This is gonna live at your house".[14] Shaw was presented a Gold Vail Award by Randall L. Stephenson, the Chief Executive Officer of AT&T.<ref>News: AT&T honors employees who helped others during Waffle House and Las Vegas shootings. Quigley. Aidan. 2018-07-23. Dallas News. 2018-08-13. en. In 2018, he received a BET Humanitarian Award.[15]
Shaw participated in the 2019 NBA All-Star Celebrity Game in Charlotte, North Carolina as an inaugural "Hometown Hero", scoring 8 points with 5 rebounds and posting the game's highest plus-minus with a +15.[16] [17]
Also in 2019, Shaw expressed interest in running in the 2019 Nashville mayoral election.[18] He was awarded the Special Courage Award from the United States Department of Justice in April of that year.[19]