Naked shooter stopped by humble citizen

A Waffle House restaurant was the setting of a real-life  drama around 3 a.m. last Sunday when a 29-year-old man  by the name of Jeffrey Reinking, wearing a green jacket and  nothing besides, walked in with an AR-15 assault-style rifle. The suspect drove to the breakfast restaurant, killed two people in the parking lot and proceeded  to enter the establishment continuing to fire.

The drama continues when 29-year-old James Shaw Jr., looked up from what he thought was the sound of plates crashing to the floor. When he discovered it was not falling dinnerware he took cover behind a door as  shots continued to shatter windows. James Shaw Jr. himself  experienced a near miss. In a statement, Shaw would say that  as the bullet grazed him, he decided “he was going to have to  work to kill me.”

When the fire ceased for unknown reasons, James Shaw Jr. threw the door open and into Reinking. Shaw Jr. then grabbed the barrel of the gun,  and a struggle ensued for control of the firearm. When a bullet is fired from a gun, the barrel  heats up and with many shots fired, the barrel burned Shaw Jr.’s hand. However, he said he didn’t  care, knowing his life depended on it.

The struggle lasted several seconds, where the shooter cursed and swore at James Shaw  Jr. for touching his gun. In addition, another witness, Chuck  Cordero, saw the shooter when he drove up. Cordero says “[The  shooter] did not say anything,” adding he was “all business.”

Finally, when the early morning hero tore the gun free, he  threw it over the counter. Reinking then immediately fled the  scene, later ditching his sole article of clothing. Authorities are  still searching for the suspect as  of the time this article was written.

James Shaw Jr. had his burn  tended to and appeared in bandages before news interviews.  In interviews the next day,  James Shaw Jr. answered questions humbly. The father of a  four-year-old daughter said that “selfishly” he was thinking only  about saving his life, not risking it for others. The rifle used  in the attack had previously been seized by the local police on the request of the FBI, along with a pistol. The guns were  then returned to Reinking’s father, with the direction to keep  them secured and away from his son. The pistol still has not been recovered, although the AR-15 and two magazines have.

The local authorities have  said that based on previous incidents with Jeffrey Reinking there  is a large possibility of mental health issues being involved. James Shaw Jr. has been hailed as a hero by the police and news outlets. Remember, it is still not recommended nor encouraged  by the police to approach a loaded firearm.

If you should find yourself in an active shooter situation, it is recommended that, according  to an official government website, you run and escape if possible, hide if escape is not possible  and fight as only an absolute last resort.

The mostly-naked man killed four that day and injured four more before removing his jacket and fleeing the scene.