B.C. woman killed while protecting son from mass shooter in Texas, husband says

A woman from Surrey, B.C., is being remembered as a "hero" and a "vibrant soul" after her husband said she protected their infant son from a gunman who killed her and five others in Austin, Texas, last week.

Sabrina Rahman, 24, had moved into a new home in the state capital with her husband Ishraq Islam and one-year-old son Ibrahim just a day before the shooting, Islam said.

She was walking with Ibrahim in their new neighbourhood shortly after noon on Dec. 5, when the gunman opened fire, killing family friend and handyman Emmanuel Pop Ba at their home, Islam told CBC News. 

Islam said his wife fled with their son toward a neighbour's house, where she hid Ibrahim from the shooter's view.

"Sabrina, being unselfish and just having that mother instinct, she turned around," Islam said. "She saw some patio chairs. She guided the stroller with Ibrahim inside, behind the patio chairs, and barricaded him so he wasn't visible."

But Rahman soon came face to face with the gunman, Islam said, and was shot in the head. She collapsed a few feet away from their son, but the gunman didn't see Ibrahim and left the area, Islam said.

Police in Austin said six people were killed in the eight-hour mass shooting — including Rahman, Ba and the suspect's parents — and another three people were injured, including a police officer.

Shane James Jr., 34, has been charged with four counts of capital murder, including Rahman and Ba's deaths, and is also facing three charges of aggravated assault, according to Austin police. If convicted of capital murder, he faces the death penalty. 

Islam said he was alerted to the shooting when he got a call from his mother saying there were ambulances near his home. When he got there, Rahman had already been taken to hospital, he said.

He said he was told about his wife's actions from his neighbours and a midwife who tried to perform CPR on Rahman and found his son in the stroller.

"In her last seconds, she didn't fold. She didn't crumble. She definitely didn't drop the ball. She did what any other loving mother would do," Islam said of his wife. 

'A vibrant soul'

Islam says his son is "going to grow up knowing how much of a hero his mom was," and that his wife's actions in her last moments would come as no surprise to anyone who knew her.

"She was just an awesome, awesome, awesome mom and a wonderful wife and an amazing daughter," he said. 

"She's just all about Ibrahim. From the moment he was born, everything she did was for him. Every minute she spent was with him. So it doesn't surprise me that she did what she did."

Islam says he is still waiting for answers, including why a public alert wasn't issued sooner after the suspect allegedly shot an Austin police sergeant around 10:40 a.m., two hours before Rahman was killed.

"But there's nothing I can do now. She's gone. My son doesn't have a mom. I don't have a wife," he said. 

Islam said he is grateful for the support of his family in Austin and their communities in Texas and Surrey.

He and his wife relocated to Austin last year to work for his family's real estate business, he said.

A family friend launched a crowdfunding campaign in support of Rahman's family earlier this week, aiming to raise $50,000.

Rahman was "a vibrant soul" killed in "an act of senseless violence," according to the fundraiser page.

"She leaves behind a legacy of warmth, kindness, and an everlasting love for her family."