In this image released by the Metro Nashville Police Department, Travis Reinking poses for a booking photo on Monday, April 23, 2018, in Nashville, Tenn.NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – The man who snatched an AR-15 rifle away from a gunman at a Nashville restaurant told Tennessee lawmakers Tuesday he faced “the true test of a man,” drawing a standing ovation during his brief address.
As the House hailed him as a hero with a resolution, James Shaw Jr. said he acted early Sunday at a Waffle House to save his own life, and saved others in the process.
“I never thought I’d be in a room with all the eyes on me, but you know, I’m very grateful to be here,” Shaw told House members. The 29-year-old said he has since gone to see some of the shooting victims in the hospital and they all remembered him. He apologized to the people whose loved ones died in the attack.
The Senate also honored Shaw on Tuesday.
Davidson County Sheriff Daron Hall said Tuesday that Reinking has been “compliant” and “cooperative” since he was transferred to the jail late Monday after he was captured near the apartment where he lived. Reinking is wearing a vest known informally as a “suicide smock” and will remain under close observation at a maximum-security facility in Nashville.