NASHVILLE, Tenn.—The Tennessee state legislature approved a resolution Apr. 23 honoring union
telecommunications technician James Shaw, Jr., for disarming the gunman who had just killed four people at a Waffle House restaurant in the suburb of Antioch early in the morning of Apr. 22. Shaw, a 29-year-old wire technician at AT&T, is a member of Communications Workers of America Local 3808. “We are so proud to have Mr. Shaw as a CWA member representing labor in such a positive way,” said Local 3808 President Deborah Sisco. Shaw, who suffered second-degree burns on his hand grabbing the hot rifle barrel, denied that he was a hero, saying he had only been trying to save himself. “I figured if I was going to die, he was going to have to work for it,” he told reporters. “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,” state Sen. Brenda Gilmore wrote in the resolution. Read more
