Three killed in Austin bar shooting, FBI investigating terrorism connection
A shooting at an Austin bar leaves three people dead as the FBI investigates whether the early morning attack may have been linked to terrorism.
AUSTIN – Three people were killed in a mid-morning shooting at a downtown Austin bar, authorities said Monday, March 2, as investigators investigated the motive for the violent attack and possible links to terrorism.
Austin Police Department Chief Lisa Davis identified the two slain victims as Sabitha Shan, 24, and Ryder Harrington, 22, in a press conference. The police department later identified the third victim, Jorge Pederson, 20, on social media Monday night.
Another 13 people were injured in the attack.
“The last 34 hours have been the most challenging of my career,” Davis said. “This is difficult for our community, devastating for the families affected, and difficult for our (Austin Police Department) families.”
Austin police earlier identified the gunman as Ndiaga Diagne, 53, who they say is suspected of opening fire outside a bar in the city’s downtown area the day before.
The gunfight occurred outside Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden, a popular bar in Austin’s West 6th Street area, which is filled with music clubs, bars, restaurants and hotels. Authorities said the suspect circled the bar several times in an SUV before firing a pistol and then a rifle at people outside the bar.
Police responded to the shooting around 2 a.m. local time and shot and killed Diagne.
Davis said investigators interviewed about 150 witnesses to the crime and thoroughly examined digital and physical evidence. Davis and Special Agent Alex Dolan of the San Antonio FBI field office said Diagne was previously unknown to either office.
Davis said the gun used in the shooting was legally purchased in San Antonio in 2017.
Videos and photos posted online showed Diagne wearing a “Property of Allah” sweatshirt during the shooting, and reportedly a T-shirt emblazoned with the Iranian flag.
Asked whether Diagne may have had a motive for the recent bombing campaign by the U.S. and Israeli military in Iran, Dolan acknowledged that the gunman had the items on his person and said investigators were trying to determine a motive.
“We are looking at those indicators,” he said. “We’re also thinking about what’s happening domestically and what’s going on. So in addition to the fact that this has been a very complex situation, we’re also calling on our federal partners to consider that as well.”
Who is the suspect in the Austin shooting?
A law enforcement official told Reuters that Diagne was originally from Senegal and is a naturalized U.S. citizen.
Diagne entered the United States on a B-2 tourist visa in March 2000, CNN and the Associated Press reported, citing the Department of Homeland Security. According to the media, he became a legal permanent resident in June 2006 after marrying a U.S. citizen and became naturalized in 2013.
On March 1, authorities raided a home in Pflugerville, Texas, just north of Austin. Davis said there are indications that is where Diagne lived at the time of the shooting.
Public records list Diagne’s San Antonio address and the address of a relative in Pflugerville.
Federal officials investigate possible terrorism link
“There were indicators in this case and in his vehicle that indicated a potential connection to terrorism,” Dolan told reporters on March 1. Dolan declined to say what the “indicators” were in response to a question at a news conference, adding: “This is a very early stage in the investigation and we don’t want to potentially denounce further investigative activity.”
A law enforcement official told Reuters the gunman was wearing a shirt with an Iranian flag and a sweatshirt that read “Property of Allah.”
Dolan said at a news conference that local police are working with the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, which includes staff from the federal Evidence Response Team and Digital Forensics Team, on the investigation. White House press secretary Caroline Levitt said in a post on X that President Donald Trump “has been briefed on the shooting incident.”
Contributed by: Reuters
