Austin, Texas residents are picking up the pieces after a gunman opened fire, killing three and wounding over a dozen more. While the investigation into the Sunday (March 1) attack is still underway, police have released the identity of the alleged shooter: a 53-year-old Black man from Senegal.
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Ndiaga Diagne was living in the U.S. since 2000, first on a tourist visa before becoming an American citizen, according to KXAN News. He’d been married three times, which is what allowed him to obtain permanent residency and eventually citizenship in 2013.
The Austin Police Department and FBI said he was never on their radar and didn’t even have a criminal record. However, Diagne was notably arrested in Texas in 2022 following a car accident and his second wife previously accused him of cruelty, according to Bexar County court records.
He alleged show up to Sixth Street, Austin’s hub for bars clubs and all things nightlife, with both a pistol and a rifle. Police said the suspect drove past Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden before 2 a.m. on Sunday multiple times before pulling out his guns. In a matter of seconds, Diagne allegedly began shooting from inside of his SUV at customers near the front of the bar, Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis confirmed.
Austin police quickly responded to calls of gunfire, and by the time they encountered him, Diagne reportedly exited his vehicle and allegedly continued shooting while on foot. After confronting the suspect, police shot and killed Diagne.
The suspect managed to shoot at least 14 people, two of whom died in the Sunday gunfire. A third victim, Jorge Pederson, was taken off of life support on Monday (March 2).
University of Texas at Austin President Jim Davis responded to the news of the killing of one star student, Savitha Shan, 21. He described her as “a child of loving parents. A loyal friend to many. A Longhorn preparing to change the world. It is devastating, and I know all of us are grieved by this horrible news and we will remember her.”
Nineteen-year-old Ryder Harrington, a student at Texas Tech University, was also shot and killed on Sunday. His fraternity paid tribute to him in a written statement.
“From the moment he joined our brotherhood, he brought a light that was impossible to ignore. Ryder had a rare ability to truly enjoy life to make people laugh, to make moments feel bigger, and to make ordinary days unforgettable,” the statement read. “If anyone embodied what it meant to live fully and love deeply, it was Ryder.”
As the investigation continues to determine a possible motive, authorities released a photo of Diagne, who was wearing a hoodie printed with “Property of Allah” on the front. Police also said he was wearing a shirt with an Iranian flag on it at the time of the shooting.
The shooting came just days after President Donald Trump confirmed military strikes against Iran with the help of our ally, Israel, we previously reported.
While polls suggest Americans largely don’t support ongoing military operations in the Middle East, it’s unclear if the conflict had anything to do with Austin bar plot. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott suggested the Iran operation was the motive behind Diagne’s alleged rage. He warned against anyone else trying to “use the current conflict in the Middle East to threaten Texas.”
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