Chadwick Boseman gave his MTV Award for Best Hero to Waffle House hero James Shaw Jr.
Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman may have won Best Hero at this year’s MTV Movie & TV Awards, but he chose to share it with a real-life superhero: James Shaw Jr., the 29-year-old who fought off a gunman in a Tennessee Waffle House earlier this year.
“Receiving an award for playing a superhero is amazing,” Boseman told the audience. “But it’s even greater to acknowledge the heroes that we have in real life. So I just want to acknowledge somebody that’s here today: James Shaw Jr.”
Boseman then invited Shaw to the stage, where he handed him the Golden Popcorn award and told him, “This is gonna live at your house.
“If you don’t know James Shaw Jr., he fought off a gunman in Antioch, Tennessee, at a Waffle House,” Boseman added. “He saved lives.”
The #MTVAwards Best Hero @chadwickboseman shares his award with a real life hero ???? pic.twitter.com/dTyqcmFVwx
— MTV (@MTV) June 19, 2018
???????????? and more ????… THANK YOU #MTVAwards! #BlackPanther fans, you’re incredible. During the show, I was honored to meet @JamesShawJr9. He saved countless lives by tackling a gunman who opened fire on people in Antioch, Tennessee in April. He’s a true hero that walks among us. pic.twitter.com/bIF8vOk3v3
— Chadwick Boseman (@chadwickboseman) June 19, 2018
In April, a gunman opened fire at a Waffle House, killing four people and wounding several others. Shaw leapt into action and wrested the weapon from the man, preventing any additional casualties. He has since raised almost $250,000 for the victims and their families.
Going into the ceremony, Black Panther led this year’s MTV Movie & TV Awards with seven nominations, including Best Movie and Best Performance in a Movie for Boseman. See the full list of this year’s winners here.