At a Waffle House in Tennessee, four people have been killed and four others have been injured in a shooting rampage that unfolded on Sunday, police report.

But one brave Waffle House patron is being called a hero after he did the unthinkable and likely stopped many others from being harmed when he confronted, tackled and disarmed the partially nude shooter from brandishing a rifle.

“I don’t really know when everyone said that [of being a hero], it feels selfish,” James Shaw Jr. told The Tennessean. “I was just trying to get myself out. I saw the opportunity and pretty much took it.”

The 29-year-old was part of a group of friends when they entered the restaurant at 3:20 a.m. They left a fraternity house party just moments prior to get food after leaving another Waffle House because it was too busy.

Suspected shooter Travis Reinking, 29, of Morton, Illinois, opened fire at 3:25 a.m. — five minutes after Shaw and his friends entered the restaurant.

Feeling cornered, Shaw saw an opportunity to subdue the shooter while he was allegedly reloading his weapon. Shaw rushed Reinking, disarmed him and threw the assault rifle over the counter.

"There's a hero," witness Chuck Cordero, 50, told ABC News. "I don't know what his name is, but there's a gentleman who was in there, who when this guy stopped to reload or stopped to do something with his gun, he took that opportunity and wrestled the guy till the gun went flying and then the dude took off running."

BREAKING: 3 persons fatally shot & 4 others wounded at the Waffle House, 3571 Murfreesboro Pike. Gunman opened fire @ 3:25 a.m. A patron wrestled away the gunman's rifle. He was nude & fled on foot. He is a white man with short hair. pic.twitter.com/d1qxRxsGNx

— Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) April 22, 2018

BREAKING: Travis Reinking, 29, of Morton, IL, is person of interest in Waffle House shooting. Vehicle the gunman arrived in is registered to him. Gunman last seen walking south on Murfreesboro Pike. He shed is coat and is nude. See Reinking? Pls call 615-862-8600 immediately. pic.twitter.com/duoWCo5fC0

— Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) April 22, 2018

"I remember I was like 'Dang, I’m basically in a barrel,'" Shaw said. “There is no place for me to go.”

He added: “When he came in, I distinctively remember thinking that he is going to have to work for this kill. I had a chance to stop him and thankfully I stopped him.”

The suspect "was wearing only a green jacket, no pants, no shirt," Don Aaron, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, said at a press conference Sunday morning.

"He is the hero here and no doubt he saved many lives by wrestling away the gun and tossing it over the counter," Aaron said.

Shaw has been released from the TriStar Southern Hills Medical Center where he was treated for minor injuries while the shooter is still on the run.

"While I was in hospital, a girl that was there said you saved my life," he said. "I didn’t do it to be hero."

NEW: Waffle House issues a statement on the deadly shooting near Nashville: "This is a very sad day for the Waffle House family, and we ask for everyone to keep the victims and their families in their thoughts and prayers." https://t.co/qRl78Wh0sb
pic.twitter.com/6QxRXvFcdr

— ABC News (@ABC) April 22, 2018

Police continue to search for the alleged gunman and say there isn't a known motive at the moment.

Waffle House released the following statement about the shooting:

"We are deeply saddened by this tragic incident. Right now, our first thoughts are with the victims and their families, and we will be there for them in this most difficult time. We are still gathering the details, and so we do not have much information to share … This is a very sad day for the Waffle House family."

Travis Reinking

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