SAN ANTONIO — A woman is recovering in the hospital and her attacker is dead, according to the San Antonio Police Department (SAPD).
Investigators say a 42-year-old man rammed his vehicle into his roommate on Saturday, and then took off. It happened just before 6:30 p.m. in the 8600 block of Cheviot Heights. Police identified the suspect as Sachin Kumar Sahoo.
Ashley Ettner identified the victim as her mother; 51-year-old Candace Byrnes.
“She didn’t really know him that well,” said Ettner. “They met about a month ago. She had fallen on rough times and I guess she trusted the wrong person.”
On Tuesday, Byrnes spoke with KENS 5 from her hospital bed.
"When I met Sachin, I was crying outside of the Salvation Army and just praying," said Byrnes. "Sachin showed up and told me he was an Uber driver. He offered me a room in return for me to help around [the house]. We would help each other."
At first, Byrnes says she felt safe.
"He was normal then," she said. "It was actually about a week before I even noticed him talking to himself. He said he was battling spirits."
Sahoo's ex-wife, Leah Goldstein, says the 42-year-old suffered from bi-polar disorder and schizophrenia.
"He was off his medication," Byrnes said. "He wanted a little more than friendship and I didn’t."
Byrnes was waiting for a friend to pick her up Saturday evening when she was struck by Sahoo's SUV.
"I said I was going to leave and that I would be back in a couple of hours," she said. "He started screaming in his car, so I thought, 'Okay, I’m just going to walk away.' That's the last thing I remember. I woke up to being on tubes and not breathing on my own."
“Apparently, she flew off into the next-door neighbor’s yard," said Ettner. "She has two broken bones in her pelvis, she had to have surgery, she does have two brain bleeds.”
Brynes was put on life support, loved ones say.
“Just to see her like that was heart-wrenching,” said Ettner. “She had tears in her eyes, blood in her hair. They pulled her off life support [on Monday] and she is finally breathing on her own. She is such a strong woman. For her to go through this and still be cracking jokes, it’s amazing!.”
According to SAPD, Sahoo returned to his northwest side home early Sunday morning and neighbors called 911.
When police arrived, the suspect allegedly backed his vehicle into two officers while attempting to flee. That’s when one of the officers fatally shot Sahoo, investigators say.
“I don’t hold any resentment towards him," said Byrnes. "I just feel a lot of hurt.”
Byrnes says she draws strength from her faith.
“The Lord breathed new breath into me and brought me back to life," she said, "because I did die. But I'm alive, I'm here.”
Loved ones have offered Byrnes a place to stay after she's released from the hospital.
"But that's not long term, it's temporary," she said.
SAPD says the two officers were also injured, but are expected to be okay. Officer Tyler Turner, who has been with the department for 5 years, was placed on standard administrative leave while SAPD investigates the officer-involved shooting.
MORE LOCAL NEWS