Shane James Jr.’s trial is scheduled to begin in November, almost three full years after the shootings.

AUSTIN, Texas — The attorneys for a man accused of shooting and killing half a dozen people in 2023 plan to raise an insanity defense when his trial begins later this fall.

Over the course of about a day in December 2023, investigators say Shane James Jr. shot and killed his parents in Bexar County before driving to Austin and killing Emmanuel Pop Ba, Sabrina Rahman, and Katherine and Lauren Short. He also allegedly shot an Austin ISD Police Department officer, a bicyclist and an Austin Police Department officer, all of whom survived.



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James was initially declared incompetent to stand trial, but in July 2025, a judge ruled his competency had been restored and his criminal cases could proceed.

Back in April of this year, a judge set Nov. 5, 2026, as a tentative trial date for James.

Now court records indicate James’s attorneys intend to raise an insanity defense.


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, 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 shot and killed Pop Ba while stealing his vehicle. Then, he allegedly 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 officers.

While James was being chased, a number of other officers entered the 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 at 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 2024, 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.”

In August 2024, James said he wanted to represent himself in court. However, online documents showed he still had two court-appointed attorneys.

A few months later, in October 2024, James was deemed incompetent to stand trial. According to the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, a person is incompetent if they don’t have “sufficient present ability to consult with the person’s lawyer with a reasonable degree of rational understanding; or a rational as well as factual understanding of the proceedings against the person.”

Online records showed that a “writ of commitment” was registered for James on Oct. 30. He was later transported to a designated mental health facility. In July 2025, a judge declared his competency had been restored and his cases could move forward.

In April 2026, a tentative trial date was set for Nov. 5, 2026.

Jail records show he faces more than a dozen charges, including seven 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 felony charge and three out-of-county misdemeanors. He also faces four writs of attachment.