Waffle House Hero James Shaw Jr. Gets Call From President Trump

NASHVILLE, TN -- President Donald Trump called James Shaw Jr. Monday morning to thank him for his "heroic actions" and "quick thinking" during the shooting at an Antioch Waffle House in April, the White House confirmed.

During Monday's daily press briefing, Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah confirmed the president called Shaw earlier in the day.

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"The 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. Mr. Shaw saved lives when he wrestled a gun from an active shooter who had opened fire," Shah said.

Shaw has been praised in Nashville and nationwide after he grabbed the hot barrel of an AR-15 from alleged shooter Travis Reinking in the early hours of April 22.

Four people - Taurean Sanderlin, 29, Joe Perez, 20, DeEbony Groves, 21, and Akilah Dasilva, 23 - were killed in the shooting at the Waffle House.

Shaw has been feted by the Metro Council, the Tennessee General Assembly, local sports teams and on television talk shows, including on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," where he met NBA star Dwyane Wade, who told Shaw he wanted his children to look up to the 29-year-old electrician. Shaw spearheaded an effort to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for the families of the victims of the shooting, as well.

The White House has received some criticism for its relative reticence about the shooting and dearth of public praise for Shaw, though, on April 26, Vice President Mike Pence did tweet about Shaw's actions.

Photo by Jason Davis/Getty Images