James Shaw Jr. has raised about $165,000 for victims of the Tennessee Waffle House shooting through a GoFundMe campaign he launched hours after wrestling an AR-15 rifle away from the gunman.
Sunday's attack left four people dead and injured Shaw, 29, whose elbow was grazed by a bullet and hand burned when he grabbed the hot barrel of the rifle before tossing the gun behind the restaurant's counter, CNN reported.
Police later arrested Travis Reinking, who has been charged with four counts of criminal homicide, four counts of attempted murder, and one count of unlawful possession of a gun in commission of a felony.
Touched by Shaw's heroism, Yashar Ali launched a GoFundMe campaign to benefit Shaw's 4-year-old daughter, USA Today reported.
"He really represents the best of America and I think we should help him too," Ali said on Twitter.
That campaign had raised more than $175,000 by Thursday afternoon.
Shaw played down his heroism, National Public Radio reported.
"I did that completely out of a selfish act," Shaw told reporters, according to NPR. "I was completely doing it just to save myself. Now, me doing that, I did save other people. But I don't want people to think that I was the Terminator, or Superman or anybody like that. It was just, I figured if I was going to die, he was going to have to work for it."
The Tennessee General Assembly official recognized Shaw's heroism Tuesday, CNN noted.
"If a hero is 'a person noted for courageous acts or nobility of character,' then James Shaw Jr. is a hero twice over, for he has demonstrated both his courage and character in a manner few could ever attempt to emulate," the resolution reads.
Twitter users also hailed Shaw.
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