Austin's Sixth Street Shooting Kills Three, Injures Multiple; Hospitality Workers Among Victims
Three people, including two patrons and the gunman, were killed and up to 19 people were shot outside Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden on Austin’s Sixth Street in the early morning hours of March 1.
At least three people, including two patrons and the 53-year-old suspect, were killed and dozens were wounded after a shooter opened fire outside Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden in Austin’s West Sixth Street entertainment district in the early hours of March 1, local authorities and news outlets reported. Austin Police Department officers engaged the shooter and, Chief Lisa Davis said, “returned fire, killing the suspect,” identified by multiple outlets as Ndiaga Diagne of Pflugerville.
Fox7Austin identified two of the victims as Savitha Shan, 21, and Ryder Harrington, 19, who died March 1, and Jorge Pederson, 30, who Fox7 said died March 2 from his injuries. KSAT and NBC reported larger casualty tallies in updated counts, with KSAT saying 19 people were shot and that three people died at the scene with an additional victim dying Monday; NBC and the Associated Press likewise reported 19 people hit by gunfire and one patient in critical condition. A separate compiled summary listed four dead, including the perpetrator, and varied numbers of injured, reflecting revisions as hospitals and officials updated totals.
Video released by APD includes body-worn camera footage, surveillance clips and 911 calls that show people running and officers moving toward the gunman, KSAT and NBC reported. One 911 caller is recorded saying, “There has been a shooting at Buford's. There are people dead over here. We need help right now.” KSAT said it would withhold graphic portions of the footage; Fox7 noted APD scheduled a noon CT news conference to release additional material.
Investigators say the attacker first fired a semi-automatic pistol from a vehicle toward a crowd outside the bar, then parked, exited the vehicle with an AR-15-style rifle and continued firing along Sixth Street and adjoining roads before the police confrontation, according to KSAT and other reporting. Authorities told NBC and AP that Diagne, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Senegal, was not previously on law enforcement radars in relation to violent extremism though investigators found he had been the subject of a mental-health related welfare check, possibly in 2022.
Multiple outlets reported images and clothing tied to Iranian imagery: Fox7 and other reports said Diagne was seen wearing a sweatshirt bearing the words “Property of Allah” with a T-shirt that included an Iranian-flag design underneath, and CBS reporting cited in other summaries said investigators found photos of Iranian leaders at his home. The FBI has said it is investigating the shooting as a potential act of terrorism, and local coverage cited those leads as part of an ongoing federal probe.
The Travis County District Attorney’s Office has said it will not pursue charges against the officers who fired on the suspect, calling their actions “heroic and necessary to stop the attack,” KSAT reported. Officials continue to reconcile victim counts and to confirm identities and occupations; an early account suggested hospitality workers were among the victims, a detail authorities have not yet formally verified as the investigation proceeds.
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