The gunman’s attack unfolded early Sunday outside Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden on Sixth Street in downtown Austin, where police said the suspect used both a pistol and a rifle. Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said police fatally shot the gunman after he fired at people on a patio and in front of the bar, then continued shooting at people walking along the street. The shooting left two dead and 14 wounded, while three of the injured were in critical condition Sunday morning, Davis said.
Investigators said the gunman drew attention to himself before the attack by wearing clothing with an Iranian flag design and the words “Property of Allah,” according to a law enforcement official who spoke to The Associated Press. Authorities said the attack erupted before 2 a.m. along the entertainment strip that is a short distance from the University of Texas at Austin. A witness who was at the bar earlier in the evening, Nathan Comeaux, said the venue was “full of college students, probably mostly UT kids, shoulder to shoulder, hundreds just enjoying their nights.”
Comeaux said he left the bar to grab pizza across the street about 10 minutes before the first gunshots. He said no one near the food truck understood what was happening, with some people thinking the noise was fireworks or a loud motorcycle. Comeaux said he hid behind a bench for about a minute before going outside, and that when he saw police running toward the scene, he started recording on his phone; he said more shots rang out and that he saw the suspect turn his gun on police before officers shot him.
Austin police said the suspect drove past the bar several times before stopping. After the shooting at people on the patio and in front of the bar, Davis said the gunman parked, got out with a rifle, and began shooting at people walking along the street before officers rushed in and confronted him at the intersection. Police said they were able to confront him within about a minute of the first call for help, according to Davis.
The FBI is investigating the attack as possibly terrorism, even as officials cautioned that a final determination has not been reached. Acting FBI agent in charge Alex Doran said authorities haven’t provided a clear motive but found “indicators” on the gunman and in his vehicle that led the bureau to look into the possibility of terrorism. Doran said, “It’s still too early to make a determination on that,” and the FBI probe is occurring in the aftermath of the U.S. and Israel launching an attack on Iran the day before the shooting.
The Department of Homeland Security identified the gunman as 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne in a statement. DHS said Diagne 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, and that he became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2013. Diagne was originally from Senegal, according to multiple people briefed on the investigation who spoke to AP on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case publicly. The White House said President Donald Trump had been briefed on the shooting.
Texas officials and university leaders said they were monitoring the impact on the community. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott warned that the state would respond aggressively to anyone trying to “use the current conflict in the Middle East to threaten Texas.” University of Texas at Austin President Jim Davis said on social media that some of those affected were “members of our Longhorn family,” and he added, “Our prayers are with the victims and all those impacted.” Austin Mayor Kirk Watson praised what he called the fast response by police and rescuers, saying, “They definitely saved lives.”
As authorities continued to investigate, the scene remained heavily secured the following evening in an entertainment district known for nightlife, with police and federal agents including ATF agents serving as sentries, AP reported. The shooting added to a recent history of gun violence in Austin’s Sixth Street area, where AP said there have been at least two other high-profile shootings in the past five years, including a summer 2021 shooting that left 14 people wounded.
This story has been corrected to say that Diagne came to the United States in 2000, not 2006. An AP source briefed on the investigation but not authorized to discuss it publicly originally said he arrived in 2006; the Department of Homeland Security later said he came in 2000.