“Hero” customer wrestled rifle away from Waffle House shooter

A customer is being called a hero after he charged a gunman at a Waffle House in Antioch, Tennessee. Police are searching for Travis Reinking, 29, in connection with Sunday’s shooting that left four people dead and four injured.

CBS affiliate WTVF-TV identified the customer as 29-year-old James Shaw Jr., whose hands were severely burned from grabbing the AR-15.

This is James Shaw. He's a hero. His hands are burned severely from grabbing the assault rifle used to kill four people inside a Nashville Waffle House. He likely saved dozens of lives pic.twitter.com/WV7KQlzA2R

— Chris Conte (@chrisconte) April 22, 2018

A witness, Chuck Cordero, said he watched the gunman shoot his friend and other customers at the restaurant. When the gunman stopped to reload or check his gun, another customer charged him and wrestled away the gun. He said that’s when the gunman fled the scene.

“So I don’t know who this guy is. I talked to him afterwards and told him, ‘You are a hero, man,’ because had that guy reloaded there was plenty more people in that restaurant that probably could have not made it home this morning,” Cordero told WTVF-TV.

The 29-year-old male customer wrestled the AR-15 away from the gunman, and suffered an elbow injury and other abrasions. He was taken to TriStar Southern Hills Medical Center and has since been released.

“I saw an opportunity — my window — so I took it. I ran through the door as fast as I could and just kind of jammed him up with the gun when it pointed down. We started wrestling and fighting for it. I just took it and tossed it over the counter. I pushed him out of the restaurant and he walked off,” Shaw told WTVF-TV.

“If I let him load that weapon it wasn’t going to be another chance,” Shaw said.

Authorities discovered two magazines of AR-15 ammunition in a green jacket Reinking left behind. “He clearly came armed with a lot of firepower to devastate the south Nashville area,” Aaron said.

“There is a chance that Reinking is at large with two other weapons,” he added.

Police said they were not aware any motives for the shooting.

“We suspect some mental issues but at this time there’s no notes, no verbal explanations so we don’t have a motive at this time,” Nashville Police Chief Steve Anderson said in a news conference Sunday.