James Shaw, Jr., the unarmed hero who wrestled an assault weapon away from a mad gunman who had already killed four people at a Nashville-area Waffle House, has had an exciting day.
In an interview that aired Wednesday Shaw met Ellen DeGeneres, and later, his favorite NBA star Dwayne Wade.
After talking with Ellen about his actions last month, which saved lives, Ellen announced she and ShutterFly had added $20,000 to the GoFundMe account set up by journalist Yashar Ali. Wade later came out with another $20,000 check for Shaw and his four-year old daughter, bringing the total of donated funds to over $245,000.
Wade told Shaw that when he talks with his own children about role models, he tells them to emulate James Shaw, Jr.
It was hard to tell who was more impressed: Shaw with Wade, or Wade with Shaw.
Shaw also told Ellen he believes America has a national mental health crisis, one in five Americans suffer some form of mental illness, and he’d like to work to help make it better.