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A gunman opened fire early Sunday at a crowded bar on Austin’s busy Sixth Street nightlife district, and police later fatally shot the suspect as the FBI and local authorities investigated the attack as a possible act of terrorism, according to Austin police and federal investigators. The shooting killed three people and wounded more than a dozen others, sending people in the bar and surrounding streets scrambling for cover.
Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said the suspect parked, got out with a rifle, and fired again after an initial round of shooting. She also said officers confronted the gunman quickly after the first call for help and shot him soon after, with the confrontation unfolding near the intersection where officers rushed in, per authorities’ account.
Investigators said the suspect was wearing clothes with an Iranian flag design and the words “Property of Allah,” a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. Police said the incident happened after U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran, and the FBI and Austin police said they were still looking for a motive behind the attack.
Police said the gunman fired first shots after driving past Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden before circling back and firing from an SUV at people on the sidewalk and inside the bar. Witnesses described chaotic moments as the shooting started, with some college students diving for cover while others stayed motionless inside the bar and across the street near a food truck.
The police chief said the shooting stopped for a moment and that the suspect later returned and fired on others before officers rushed to the intersection. Austin Mayor Kirk Watson praised what he said was a rapid response by police and emergency workers, saying, “They definitely saved lives.”
Austin police identified two of the victims as 21-year-old Savitha Shan and 19-year-old Ryder Harrington. Police later announced that 30-year-old Jorge Pederson also died from injuries sustained in the attack.
University President Jim Davis said the shooting affected “members of our Longhorn family,” using the name of the school’s mascot. The bar was on Sixth Street near the flagship campus of the University of Texas system, and the university said those affected included students.
Nathan Comeaux, a 22-year-old senior, told reporters the bar was “full of college students, probably mostly UT kids, shoulder to shoulder, hundreds just enjoying their nights.” Comeaux also said he filmed the suspect as he walked toward Buford’s with his gun pointed at officers.
Police said they were investigating possible links to international developments while also focusing on the suspect’s background. Authorities said the gunman was 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne and that he legally bought the pistol and rifle used in the attack several years ago in San Antonio, according to Lisa Davis.
Police also said Diagne was originally from Senegal, and that he first entered the U.S. in 2000 on a B-2 tourist visa and became a lawful permanent resident six years later after marrying a U.S. citizen, based on U.S. Department of Homeland Security information cited by authorities. Police said Diagne was wearing the reported markings when he was killed, and they said it was too soon to identify a motive.
As the investigation continued, police taped off several blocks around Sixth Street and federal agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives joined local officers at the scene, according to the account provided to reporters.