AUSTIN, Texas — Sparks flew when Ishraq Islam first met his wife, Sabrina Rahman.
"She's the one. There's no one else that could ever replace her. Shortly after we got married, within two months, my little brother passed away and she's a blessing. She was there for the whole family," Islam said. "She's like an angel that was sent at the perfect time."
The couple moved with their 18-month-old son, Ibrahim, from Vancouver, British Columbia, to Austin last year.
"We built two houses here and were ready to start our new lives in a good neighborhood," Islam said. "It's only been a year, and we came here for a fresh start. And then this happens."
Earlier this week, the family moved into their new neighborhood in South Austin. One day later, Rahman went for a stroll with their son, when she saw one of their tradesmen, Emmanuel Pop Ba, get shot in front of her house.
"She screamed. She went the opposite way. The gunman followed her, approached her. She threw my baby – she threw the stroller to the side towards the home. She saved his life. The gunman shot her, and he took off," Islam said. "She got hit in the head, she collapsed. She's a hero. She saved my son."
Islam said their family was broken in an instant but not destroyed. He said he and his extended family are determined to hold things together for their baby boy.
"We're cut up in a million pieces," Islam said. "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."
Rahman's funeral prayer will be held at the Islamic Center of Greater Austin at Masjid Khaedjah at 1:15 p.m. Friday. Her body will then be transported to a Muslim cemetery for burial right after. Her family said all are welcome.
A GoFundMe has been organized to help the family.