During the shootings in Austin on Dec. 5, four people were killed. Two of them were a mother and daughter. The other two were a mother who pushed her infant son out of harm's way and a man who was taking his lunch break in his vehicle.
Here are their names and how their families remember them.
Sabrina Rahman
Sabrina Rahman was 24. She was a wife and mother to an 11-month-old son.
Rahman was killed after witnessing Pop Ba’s shooting death, according to Austin police. Gunshots narrowly missed Rahman’s baby who was in a stroller near her.
At her funeral on Friday at the Islamic Center of Greater Austin at Masjid Khadijah, Sheikh Joe Bradford described Rahman as a devoted mother.
“One of her last actions was protecting her son before being killed by this horrific tragedy,” he said.
Rahman’s brother-in-law, Fardeen Ehsan, told KUT that “Sabrina was not only a victim of gun violence, but was a victim of an act of evil."
“I hope you remember her like I and my family, too, as [the] lovely mother, sister-in-law, wife and daughter she was," he said.
Emmanuel Pop Ba
Emmanuel Pop Ba was 32. He was a husband and father to a son and two daughters.
Pop Ba was killed while on a lunch break from his job remodeling a home on Shadywood Drive, members of his family said. Police said Pop Ba was killed as the suspected gunman stole his vehicle.
“There isn’t a bad thing I can say about him,” his brother-in-law, Pablo Cornelio Caal Pop, told KUT. “He had no vices. He didn't drink, didn't smoke. He was dedicated to his family. He would leave the house at six every morning to work, and would be home by 5:30 [p.m.] every day to be with his family.”
Caal Pop said he wants Pop Ba to be remembered for his “charisma” and “way of being.”
“Everyone he worked with and for would endear themselves to him. He left a deep impact on many people that’s not going to fade,” Caal Pop said.
Katherine and Lauren Short
Katherine Short was 56. She and her husband, Jeffrey Short, moved into the Circle C neighborhood a few years after their daughter, Lauren Short was born. Lauren was 30.
Katherine and Lauren were killed after the suspected gunman broke into their home.
In a statement shared on a community Facebook page, Jeffrey called his wife and daughter’s death, “a terrible blow for myself of course - but honestly more to the world.”
“Kathy and Lauren were just excellent people. I can easily say that when it came to our marriage the sum was greater than the parts and that is due to my beloved wife,” he said. “Lauren was my only daughter and a real treasure.”
Robin Arnold, a neighbor and mutual friend, said she has lived on Austral Loop for nearly as long as the Short family. She described Lauren as sweet-natured and a soft-spoken, kind soul. Arnold said Katherine volunteered at the Kiker Elementary School library.
“I would see her quite a bit there,” said Arnold, who previously worked as a permanent substitute teacher at the school. “Just a very sweet-natured, wonderful person.”
The family will hold a memorial service in early 2024, Jeffrey said. For those who would like to show support, Jeffrey said the family would appreciate donations in either Kathy or Lauren’s names to World Central Kitchen, an organization tackling food insecurity in response to humanitarian, climate and community crises across the world.
