Sabrina Rahman from Sari, British Columbia, is remembered as a hero and a vibrant spirit after she saved her infant son from a gunman who killed her and five others in Austin, Texas last week.

Rahman, 24, was accompanying her one-year-old son Ibrahim in their new neighborhood shortly after noon on December 5 when the alleged gunman opened fire, killing her boyfriend Emmanuel Bob Ba in front of her eyes. Ishraq Islam, Rahman’s husband, told CBC News that his wife witnessed Ba’s killing outside their home.

Islam also added that his wife immediately fled with their son towards the neighbors' house, where she hid Ibrahim from the shooter's eyes. And Sabrina, being selfless and having a motherly instinct, turned and saw some patio chairs, so she directed the stroller and Ibrahim inside, behind the patio chairs, and barricaded it so he would not be visible.

But Rahman soon confronted the gunman face to face, according to Islam, and was shot in the head. Islam said she collapsed just a few feet from their son, but the gunman did not see Ibrahim and left the area.

The family moved to the state capital last year to work in Islam’s family real estate company, and they had just moved into their new home the day before the shooting.

While Sabrina died weeks before her 25th birthday, Islam said their son will grow up knowing how much his mother was a hero.

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

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

"A vibrant spirit"...

Islam said his wife’s actions in her final moments are not surprising to anyone who knows her. He said she was simply a wonderful mother, a wonderful wife, and a wonderful daughter.

Islam also said he is still waiting for answers, including why a public alert was not issued sooner after the suspect shot an Austin police sergeant around 10:40 a.m. local time, two hours before Rahman was killed.

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