Sabrina Rahman: 'Hero' mom who saved son's life among two people shot dead by Texas Army veteran
Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.
AUSTIN, TEXAS: Sabrina Rahman, who was set to celebrate her 25th birthday in a few weeks, has become one of the victims of a recent Texas shooting spree, leaving her family grieving and preparing for her funeral.
Rahman was one of the two individuals fatally shot by suspect and Army veteran Shane James Jr, 34, on Shadywood Drive in south Austin on Tuesday, December 5, alongside 32-year-old Emmanuel Pop Ba.
What led to the tragic shooting?
Pop Ba, doing handiwork for Rahman's family, was on his lunch break outside when he was shot. Rahman, returning home from a walk with her baby boy, witnessed the incident unfold. According to Rahman's family, “He saw her react, scream and run. She ran to a neighbor’s house. She threw Ibrahim, my nephew’s stroller, at the neighbor’s door."
“She pivoted to run the other way. This person ran out of the car around at her. He put the gun to her head, and he pulled the trigger,” as per KUVE.
What was the motive behind the shooting?
The Austin Police Department revealed that the suspect faced initial arrest in Bexar County for assaulting his parents in January 2022.
Shockingly, over a year and a half later, he is now suspected of not only killing his parents but four more victims locally. Shane is believed to have committed the deadly shooting while grappling with documented mental health episodes.
Heartbroken husband questions lack of alerts
Ishraq Islam, Rahman's husband, expressed frustration at the lack of alerts about the suspect, wondering if timely information could have saved his wife.
“We see one message. My wife wouldn’t go out. I would still have a wife,” Ishraq stated. “My son would still have a mom.”
Describing Rahman as the "friendliest, kindest... just a sweet, sweet, sweet angel," Islam credited her quick thinking for saving their son by pushing his stroller toward a neighbor's home.
“He was her life,” Ishraq said. “Since the moment he was born, everything was for him. She spent every minute with him. They’re heavily attached.”
Rahman's family, now shattered but determined, is drawing strength from their son and vows to raise him with the love and care his mother would have provided.
“We’re gonna raise this boy like he didn’t miss a beat. But it’s gonna be tough,” Ishraq said.
Despite the overwhelming grief, the husband and father emphasized that their family is not destroyed but is resolved to hold together for the sake of their baby boy.
"We're cut up in a million pieces," Ishraq mourned. "We're going to show him how heroic his mom was and [how] she put her life, put everything on the line to save him and we're going to make sure he has an amazing life."
