'Waffle House hero' honored with joyride in Blue Angels jet
SMYRNA, Tenn. — A Tennessee man who wrestled a gun away from a Waffle House shooter has been honored with a joyride in a Blue Angels jet.
The Daily News Journal reports James Shaw Jr. enjoyed a stomach-churning flight over Smyrna Wednesday in a U.S. Navy F/A-18 Hornet.
Blue Angels pilot Lt. Cary Rickoff says he showed Shaw some aerobatics, as well as high-speed and dynamic maneuvers. The G-forces can be intense, and he says Shaw actually lost consciousness for a moment, but Shaw says he woke up laughing.
Shaw is credited with disarming the shooter who killed four people and wounded four others at the Nashville restaurant in 2018. Travis Reinking has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the attack.
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