A mass shooting outside a popular Austin bar early Sunday morning left three people dead, including the gunman, and 14 others wounded in what federal investigators are examining as a potential act of terrorism—one day after U.S. and Israeli forces launched devastating strikes on Iran that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The attack unfolded around 2:00 a.m. local time at Buford’s bar on West Sixth Street, a bustling entertainment district packed with college students from the nearby University of Texas at Austin. Police identified the shooter as Ndiaga Diagne, a 53-year-old naturalized American citizen born in Senegal who became a U.S. citizen in 2013 after first entering the country on a tourist visa in 2000.
According to Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis, Diagne drove a large SUV around the block several times before putting on his hazard lights, rolling down his window and firing a pistol at people on the bar’s patio. He then parked the vehicle, exited with a rifle and began walking back toward the crowded bar.
Three police officers who were already patrolling the entertainment district confronted and shot Diagne at a nearby intersection just 57 seconds after the first emergency call. Authorities later searched his SUV and confirmed it was not carrying explosives.
What has elevated concerns about the shooting’s motive are details that have emerged about Diagne’s apparent sympathies. Law enforcement sources told the BBC and other outlets that the gunman was wearing a sweatshirt bearing the words “Property of Allah” over a shirt displaying an Iranian flag design. When investigators searched his residence and vehicle, they discovered an Iranian flag, pictures of Iranian leaders and a Quran.
The timing has not escaped investigators’ attention. The shooting occurred less than 24 hours after the United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iran that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, though authorities have not confirmed any direct connection between the events.
Alex Doran, acting special agent in charge of the FBI’s San Antonio office, said the agency found indicators in the suspect’s vehicle and on his person suggesting a potential nexus to terrorism. Though it remains too early to make a final determination on motive, Doran said investigators are committed to seeing the process through.
Among the victims were two college students. Savitha Shan, a 21-year-old University of Texas student, and Ryder Harrington, a 19-year-old Texas Tech University student from Lubbock, were killed in the attack. University of Texas President Jim Davis described Shan as “a child of loving parents, a loyal friend to many, a Longhorn preparing to change the world.”
Of the 14 people hospitalized, three remained in critical condition Sunday morning, according to Robert Luckritz, chief of Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services. Authorities said they are interviewing dozens of witnesses as they piece together the full scope of the attack.
Kelson Li, a 25-year-old witness who entered the bar looking for a friend after hearing gunshots, described scenes of horror inside. “I saw maybe seven to eight bodies just kind of laying on the floor,” Li told FOX 7 Austin. “People were clinging on to life. People were lifeless.”
Nathan Comeaux, a 22-year-old University of Texas senior, was grabbing pizza from a food truck across the street when the shooting began. He initially thought the gunfire was fireworks before realizing what was happening and taking cover.
The swift police response drew praise from local officials. Austin Mayor Kirk Watson credited the heavy police presence in the entertainment district on weekends, saying officers and EMS “definitely saved lives.”
President Donald Trump was briefed on the shooting, according to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. Governor Greg Abbott vowed that “this act of violence will not define us, nor will it shake the resolve of Texans,” while also warning anyone “using the current conflict in the Middle East to threaten Texans” that the state would respond with overwhelming force.
Police Chief Davis said the last 36 hours have been among the most challenging in her career, describing the crime scene as “complex and very large.” Records show Diagne had not previously been on Austin police’s or the FBI’s radar, and had legally purchased the weapons used in the attack in San Antonio in 2017.
The University of Texas, which enrolls roughly 55,000 students who frequently visit the Sixth Street district on weekends, announced increased security and police patrols around campus. Officials confirmed several UT students sustained injuries in the attack, some of them serious, and the university is providing 24/7 confidential counseling and mental health support.
As investigators continue working to establish a definitive motive, the attack has left Austin’s vibrant entertainment district temporarily subdued, with flowers placed outside Buford’s and several blocks remaining taped off.
Sources:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgjznzgly0po
https://www.statesman.com/news/article/bufords-austin-6th-street-shooting-live-updates-21949513.php
https://www.fox7austin.com/news/witnesses-recall-deadly-shooting-austins-6th-street-left-3-dead-14-injured
https://newschannel9.com/news/nation-world/multiple-people-injured-in-mass-shooting-on-6th-st-austin-police-investigating
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/shooting-outside-austin-bar-leaves-3-dead-and-14-injured-fbi-investigates-possibility-of-terrorism
