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James Shaw Jr. holds his daughter Brooklyn, 4, during a prayer vigil at the Mount Zion Baptist Church Monday, April 23, 2018, in Antioch, Tenn. The Tennessean / screen grab

ANTIOCH, Tennessee, April 30, 2018 (LifeSiteNews) – Just hours after being treated for injuries he sustained thwarting a shooter at a Tennessee Waffle House, James Shaw, Jr. went to Sunday service with family and friends.

“It just felt good to be around a lot of love,” Shaw said, describing for Fox and Friends’ Ainsley Earhardt how he didn't want to be alone after the shooting.

Shaw, 29, is being called a hero for stopping the shooter, but he maintains he just wanted to live, and he has prayed and offered other support for the other victims of the shooting.

Shaw and a friend had ended up at the Antioch Waffle House on Murfreesboro Pike overnight on Sunday, April 22, because another location was too crowded. 

After first mistaking the gunfire for breaking dishes in the kitchen, Shaw dove to the ground as he saw the first victim and other patrons were running for the bathrooms. 

He then went for the shooter when it appeared his gun was either jammed or empty of shells.

Shaw grabbed the AR-15 rifle’s barrel, not realizing how hot it was. He suffered second-degree burns. He pulled the gun away and threw it over the restaurant counter, also sustaining a gunshot wound before it was all over. 

Travis Reinking, 29, had begun shooting around 3:25 a.m., killing four and injuring numerous others before Shaw wrestled the gun away and pushed him out the door.

Reinking was apprehended after a 34-hour manhunt.

Shaw is credited with saving numerous lives, but denies being a hero, saying he was just trying to stay alive, and acted when he saw the opportunity.

Shaw, a technician for AT&T and the father of four-year-old Brooklyn, cried four times in the hours after the early-morning shooting, the Tennessean reports

The first was in the ambulance on the way to the hospital at 4 a.m. as the paramedics asked questions during his blood-pressure check.

“He asked if I had kids,” Shaw said. “I thought I could have possibly never seen my daughter again. That hurt.”

The second time was when he first talked to Brooklyn via FaceTime.

The third time was at the 10 a.m. church service surrounded by friends and family, as well as Nashville Mayor David Briley. The mayor had called Shaw after the shooting, and Shaw invited Briley to go with him to the Nashville church he’s attended since he was a baby.

Shaw told CNN it helped to go to church.

“It definitely helped,” he said. “I prayed for the victims.”

The heroic young man broke down again a fourth time at 2 p.m. press conference explaining that he acted because he wanted to live.

“I chose to react because I didn’t want to die. I just wanted to live. I didn’t really fight that man to save everyone else. That might not be a popular thing to say,” Shaw said.

Nashville Police Chief Steve Anderson told a news conference that Shaw is, in fact, a hero.

Tennessee State Sen. Thelma Harper and Rep. Brenda Gilmore agree.

The Democrats from Nashville filed resolutions regarding Shaw, USA Today reports

“If his heroism is equaled by anything, it is Mr. Shaw's penchant for honesty; he later asserted that his actions were purely selfish and that he was only trying to stay alive, but everyone else disagrees,” Gilmore’s said.

“No matter his motivations, Mr. Shaw is indeed a hero,” Gilmore wrote. “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.” 

Shaw had also become emotional during an interview with the local NBC affiliate, apologizing to the families of people he couldn’t save.

“There's four families that are grieving right now,” Shaw said. “So much life was lost for no reason. I feel like it could be very selfish of me if I didn't point it out. And I apologize.”

He has visited some of the other survivors in the hospitals, and he has started a GoFundMe page for the families of the victims.

As of press time, the page had raised more than $212,601 of its initial $15,000 goal.