The husband of a Texas mass shooting victim has revealed his wife bravely threw their baby out of the way as a gunman chased her.
Sabrina Rahman, 24, was one of six people killed Tuesday during a daylong rampage through San Antonio and Austin.
Shane James, 34, was arrested in the early hours of Wednesday at the Travis County Jail in connection with the incident on charges of capital murder and three other out-of-jurisdictional crimes that were not specified.
Rahman's husband Ishraq Islam spoke about her murder for the first time during an interview with a local television station KIII and praised her for being a “hero.”
“She threw my baby – she threw the stroller aside towards the house,” he said. 'She saved his life. The gunman shot her, and he ran off.”
Ishraq Islam, the husband of a Texas mass shooting victim, has revealed that his wife bravely threw their baby aside as a gunman chased her
Sabrina Rahman, 24, was among six people killed Tuesday during a daylong rampage through San Antonio and Austin
Shane James, 34, was arrested in the early hours of Wednesday at the Travis County Jail in connection with the incident on four charges of capital murder and three other out-of-jurisdictional crimes that were not specified
Rahman was shot dead a day after she moved to a new neighborhood with her husband and 18-month-old son Ibrahim.
She saw trader Emmanuel Pop Ba shot in front of her house and ran away screaming.
'She screamed. She went the opposite direction. The gunman followed her and approached her,” Islam said.
'She was hit on the head and collapsed. She's a hero. She saved my son.”
Her family is devastated after her death, but they are determined to stay strong for her son.
“We've been cut into a million pieces,” Islam said. 'We're going to show him how heroic his mother was and [how] she risked her life, risked everything to save him. And we're going to make sure he has a great life.'
Rahman and her husband moved to Austin from Vancouver, British Columbia, with their son last year.
“We built two houses here and were ready to start our new life in a good neighborhood,” he added.
“It's only been a year and we came here for a fresh start. And then this happens.'
Islam said sparks flew when he first met his wife and said, “It's her. There is no one else who could ever replace her.
“Shortly after we got married, within two months, my little brother passed away and she is a blessing.
'She was there for the whole family. She is like an angel sent at the perfect time.”
Rahman was shot dead a day after she moved to a new neighborhood with her husband and 18-month-old son Ibrahim
Her family is devastated after her death, but they are determined to stay strong for her son
Rahman and her husband moved to Austin from Vancouver, British Columbia, with their son last year
Rahman's funeral was held Friday afternoon at the Islamic Center of Greater Austin at Masjid Khaedjah.
A fundraising page has been set up for her family GoFundMe and so far it has raised $9,500 out of an $18,000 goal.
Suspect James is also accused of shooting two police officers, including one who was shot in the leg outside an Austin high school.
He was seen in a new booking photo on Wednesday afternoon – with a red scratch on his left cheek and a splatter of blood on his forehead and hairline.
News 4 San Antonio reported that James was expelled from the Texas Organizing Project early last year on three counts of assault. The project is a police reform group that includes the Bexar Co. Helped DA and Sheriff get elected.
The first reported incident occurred just before 11 a.m. Tuesday at a high school in the Texas capital, where James allegedly shot an Austin Independent School District police officer.
Shortly afterwards, authorities believe he shot and killed a man and a woman at a home in the south part of the city. At 5 p.m., a male cyclist was shot, also in the southern part of the city.
That shooting was also linked to James. The victim suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Two hours later, a second Austin police officer was injured by the suspect when someone called 911 to report a burglary at a home in the southwest part of the city.
This led to a high-speed chase that resulted in James' arrest. When officers returned to that home, they found two more dead.
On Tuesday evening, officials announced that the same suspect was involved in the “grisly” murder of a couple in their 50s, whose bodies were found in a small bedroom in San Antonio, about 80 miles from Austin.
The gunman first came to the attention of officers when he shot a school employee in the leg near the football field at Northeast Early College High School just before noon. This led to a lockdown of the school that lasted four hours.
Less than an hour later, the gunman went to a home in South Austin and shot a handyman sitting in a car. The suspect shot through the window.
After the gunfire broke out, a woman came out and was then chased down the street by the gunman. He grabbed her and killed her, Fox Austin reports.
The suspect returned to the handyman's car, threw his body on the sidewalk and stole the vehicle.
The next incident occurred around 5 p.m., where a cyclist was shot and injured. He was rushed to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Officers caught up with the gunman after receiving reports of a burglary on the Austral Loop in southwest Austin just before 7 p.m.
James was arrested in connection with a series of shootings that left six people dead and two police officers injured
The incident began just before 11 a.m. at Northeast Early College High School, where the suspect allegedly shot one of the Austin Independent School District officers.
A few minutes later he was in South Austin, where he is accused of shooting two people on Shadywood Drive
Neighbors claimed that the people living there had only moved a few days earlier. They said the man of the house brought cookies and apologized for any disruption the construction had caused.
The gunman shot and wounded a second Austin police officer before fleeing. The officer's injuries are not considered life-threatening.
A 12-year veteran agency shot at the suspect but did not hit him. As per protocol, she has been placed on administrative leave.
The suspect fled the scene, leaving police on a high-speed chase.
The chase ended after about 15 minutes when the suspect crashed his car at the intersection of State Highway 45 and FM 1826.
He was armed when police arrested him. Investigation revealed that the suspect had a warrant out for causing injury to a family member.
When police returned to the home where the burglary had been reported, they found the bodies of two more people.
In San Antonio, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said the couple found dead were “well-known” in the community and said their home was “very well maintained.”
Salazar, who described the killings as “grisly,” said officials believe the pair were killed before the Austin shooting.
“No one deserves to die like she did,” the sheriff said.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott released a statement on the shooting.
“Our thoughts are with the family and loved ones of the Austin ISD police officer who was shot today near Northeast Early College High School,” Abbott said.
“Our ISD police officers play a critical role in keeping Texas students and school faculty safe.
“The State of Texas is providing all available resources to local law enforcement partners who are working to ensure this dangerous criminal is caught and brought to justice.”