AUSTIN, Texas — Shane James Jr., the man accused of going on a deadly shooting spree that started in San Antonio and ended in Austin last December, says he wants to represent himself in court.
James, 35, is facing multiple capital murder charges after authorities say he shot and killed his parents in San Antonio on Dec. 5, 2023, before traveling to Austin and killing four other people: Emmanuel Pop Ba, Sabrina Rahman, and Katherine and Lauren Short. He also allegedly injured an Austin ISD Police Department officer, a cyclist and an Austin Police Department officer.
At a hearing on Friday, Aug. 23, that lasted less than 15 minutes, James made it known that he wants to represent himself. Meanwhile, his current defense attorney requested a mental health evaluation. The judge said James must be deemed competent in order to serve as his own representation.
James's next hearing is scheduled for Oct. 10.
Background on this case
Bexar County officials say the Dec. 5, 2023, shooting spree started in the San Antonio area. Phyllis James and Shane James Sr. were found dead, "wedged inside a very small room," in a home east of San Antonio. Sheriff Javier Salazar described the scene as "grisly."
Then, at around 10:45 a.m. on Dec. 5, investigators say James shot and injured an Austin ISD Police Department officer outside Northeast Early College High School in northeast Austin. Investigators said there was no interaction between the officer and James before the shooting.
Just before noon, the Austin Police Department (APD) received multiple calls for help to a home in South Austin. When officers arrived on the scene, they found a man and a woman with "obvious signs of trauma" to their bodies. Those victims were later identified as 32-year-old Emmanuel Pop Ba and 24-year-old Sabrina Rahman.
Police said James allegedly shot and killed Pop Ba while stealing his vehicle. Then, he turned his attention to Rahman, who witnessed the shooting, and he shot her, narrowly missing her baby, who was in a stroller. He then left the scene in Pop Ba's vehicle, according to police.
Police believe that after that shooting, James headed further southwest, where he allegedly shot someone riding their bike on West Slaughter Lane just before 5 p.m. The cyclist called 911 themselves, and police said they would be able to recover from their injuries.
The next incident is when police were able to make first contact with James.
At around 6:45 p.m., APD officers got a call about a burglary in progress in southwest Austin's Circle C neighborhood. Surveillance video showed James wearing a long-sleeved shirt, wielding a handgun and forcibly trying to kick down the back door of a residence. Officers arrived at the scene at 6:54 p.m.
APD said when officers arrived, James began shooting at them. Officers returned fire but did not hit James. James then left the scene in a stolen car and was pursued by APD officers.
While James was being chased, a number of other officers entered Circle C home and located two women suffering from gunshot wounds. They were later identified as 56-year-old Katherine Short and 30-year-old Lauren Short. Officers attempted life-saving measures, but both women died on the scene.
At 6:55 p.m., officers on the scene called for backup, Austin-Travis County EMS medics and Austin Fire Department crews because an APD officer had been shot. That officer survived.
Police chased James until he crashed his car near State Highway 45 and FM 1826. Then-APD Interim Chief Robin Henderson said officers then took James into custody. He did have a gun on him.
The following day, James tried to escape the Travis County Jail. An affidavit stated that deputies "had to use force to subdue James" and get him back into custody.
Roughly a week after the shooting spree, APD outlined the timeline and explained why an alert wasn't sent to the public while James was allegedly on the run, stating that they did not want to impact the investigation.
In June of this year, court documents from Bexar County revealed that James admitted to killing his parents prior to traveling to Austin and allegedly killing the four additional victims. James told investigators that on the morning of the shooting spree, he felt "impending doom."
As of Aug. 23, 2024, jail records show James faces 11 charges. Those include seven charges in Travis County – Capital Murder by Terror Threat, three counts of Capital Murder of Multiple Persons, two counts of Attempted Capital Murder and Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon – as well as an out-of-county Capital Murder charge and three out-of-county misdemeanors.