WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump spoke on the phone Monday morning with the man who intervened during a deadly mass shooting at a Waffle House last month, White House spokesperson Raj Shah said Monday.
“This morning, the President had a call with James Shaw Jr. to commend his heroic actions and quick thinking last month at a Waffle House in Tennessee,” Shah told reporters at the daily White House briefing. “Mr. Shaw saved lives when he wrestled a gun from an active shooter who had open fired.”
Shaw’s heroism has been widely praised after he wrestled the gun away from a gunman at a Waffle House who killed four people. Shaw also started a fundraiser to raise money for the victims and their families.
Shaw, 29, previously told CNN’s Van Jones earlier this month he had not yet heard from the President.
“I know he has a busy agenda, a busy schedule. Maybe he just hasn’t got around to me. Maybe my time is coming,” Shaw said.
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said at the time the White House had intentions of inviting him for a visit.
Tennessee’s General Assembly officially commended Shaw’s actions in a joint resolution last month.
“No matter his motivations, Mr. Shaw is indeed a hero; his actions on that fateful morning are unfathomable to most, indescribable by even the chief of police, and very poignant to the citizens of Nashville, who are deeply grateful for his brave actions in the face of extreme adversity that saved many lives,” the resolution read.