The FBI is investigating the attack as a potential act of terrorism; a law enforcement official told the Associated Press that the gunman was wearing clothes with an Iranian flag design and the words ‘Property of Allah,’ though Davis declined to discuss a possible motive and said the investigation is ongoing.
AUSTIN, Texas — Austin police released body camera footage Thursday showing bargoers and pedestrians ducking for cover as a gunman opened fire outside a Sixth Street bar early Sunday, killing three people and wounding 16 others in what the FBI is investigating as a potential act of terrorism.
Nineteen people in total were hit by gunfire in the attack on Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden, a venue in downtown Austin’s entertainment district close to the University of Texas at Austin, including the three who died, Police Chief Lisa Davis said Thursday. One person remained in critical condition.
“There has been a shooting at Buford’s,” a caller said in a 911 recording also released Thursday. “There are people dead over here. We need help right now.”
Officers arrived within 56 seconds of the first 911 call, Davis said, and shot and killed the gunman after he fired at police.
The suspect
Police identified the gunman as Ndiaga Diagne, 53. Authorities said he was not on their radar before the attack and had legally purchased the pistol and rifle he used.
Diagne fired the first shots from his SUV, then parked the vehicle and emerged with a rifle, police said. He shot another person before officers rushed to the intersection and killed him, Davis said.
A law enforcement official told the Associated Press that Diagne was wearing clothes bearing an Iranian flag design and the words “Property of Allah.” Davis said investigators found he was the subject of a mental health-related welfare check, possibly in 2022, by an agency elsewhere.
Davis said the investigation is ongoing and would not discuss a possible motive. The shooting occurred a day after the U.S. and Israel launched an attack on Iran.
Most of those who were shot were outside the bar, Davis said, including one victim who was waiting for a ride.
The victims
Jorge Pederson, 30, an aspiring mixed martial arts fighter who had recently moved to Texas from Minnesota, died from his gunshot wounds Monday. His former gym, the Academy Martial Arts Gym, said in a Facebook post that he brought “light and joy into the grueling work of training.”
Savitha Shan, 21, was a business student at the University of Texas at Austin with a job waiting for her at a consulting firm. Her family described her death as “profoundly unfair” in a statement released through the university, which said she was an only child.
Ryder Harrington, 19, had attended Texas Tech University through last fall. His former fraternity brothers at Beta Theta Pi recalled in an Instagram post his ability to “make ordinary days unforgettable.”