The FBI and local authorities said Monday that they had not had the gunman who killed three people in an Austin, Texas, bar-area shooting on their radar before the attack began. Federal and local investigators also said they are examining the incident as a potential act of terrorism in the aftermath of an attack on Iran by the U.S. and Israel. MSI previously reported that the FBI was investigating terrorism indicators as police prepared to interview witnesses.
FBI acting agent in charge Alex Doran described motive-finding as the central goal of the investigation. Speaking during a news conference, Doran said, “Our ultimate goal in everything we do is to determine the motive,” according to the Associated Press.
Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said investigators were still early in their work as they try to piece together how the shooting unfolded and what led to it. Davis said, “We are still in the early hours of this investigation,” and police announced that they plan to interview more than 150 witnesses and review thousands of hours of video.
Police shot and killed the gunman, identifying him as 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne. An Austin law enforcement official told the Associated Press that Diagne wore clothes with an Iranian flag design and had the words “Property of Allah” on his clothing during the attack.
Investigators said the shooting began outside Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden on Sixth Street, an area known for bars and music clubs near the University of Texas at Austin. Police said the suspect drove past the bar, which was packed with students, before circling back and firing from his SUV at people on the sidewalk and inside the bar. Officers said the shooting stopped for a moment, then resumed as the suspect parked, got out with a rifle, and continued shooting before police rushed to the intersection and shot him.
Authorities said Diagne legally bought the weapons used in the attack several years earlier in San Antonio, and police said additional information about the suspect and body camera footage could be released later this week. They also said the FBI found “indicators” on the gunman and in his vehicle soon after the shooting, leading to the terrorism possibility.
Police identified three victims of the attack and later announced that one of the injured men had died from his injuries. The victims were identified as 21-year-old Savitha Shan, 19-year-old Ryder Harrington and 30-year-old Jorge Pederson, with police later confirming Pederson’s death.
Harrington’s fraternity, Beta Theta Pi at Texas Tech University, said in an Instagram post that he joined the fraternity in 2024 and described him in memorial terms. Texas Tech also said in a statement that Harrington had been enrolled as recently as the fall 2025 semester but was not taking classes in the current semester.
Shan’s LinkedIn profile described her as a dual-degree student at the University of Texas at Austin majoring in management information systems and economics. Austin-area leaders also addressed her death: University President Jim Davis said in a statement that Shan’s death was “devastating” and that several other students were wounded, with some “very serious” and others “on the path to recovery.” Davis also said he met with families and would continue to pray for them.
Investigators also said the gunman came to the United States from Senegal and that the Department of Homeland Security records show he entered on a B-2 tourist visa in 2000 and later became a lawful permanent resident after marrying a U.S. citizen. Multiple people briefed on the investigation told the Associated Press on condition of anonymity that Diagne was not on authorities’ radar before the shooting, and the Associated Press reported it was unable to reach his Austin-area family members or former wife for comment.