Early Sunday morning, what began as a crowded closing hour on Austin’s Sixth Street turned into a mass-casualty scene outside Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden near the University of Texas campus.
Police say a gunman opened fire just before 2 a.m., striking patrons gathered on the patio and in front of the bar. Two people were killed, and 14 others were wounded.
Two people were killed and 14 others wounded when a gunman opened fire at a packed bar in downtown Austin early Sunday — and the FBI is now probing the shooting as potential terrorism.
Officers already assigned to the entertainment district responded within seconds and engaged the suspect.
Three officers who were on routine patrol of the entertainment district responded to the scene within 57 seconds, confronted the gunman and “returned fire,” killing him.
As the morning progressed, federal authorities confirmed the investigation had escalated.
An FBI official confirmed in a news conference that the shooter in Austin’s mass shooting had materials that “were indications of a potential nexus to terrorism.”
The suspect was later identified as Ndiaga Diagne, described as a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Senegal and living in the Austin area. Reporting indicated a Quran was recovered from his vehicle.
Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin later shared a photo of the suspect from the night of the attack.
In the image, the suspect appears armed and is wearing a sweatshirt that reads “Property of Allah.” Melugin also reported that he was wearing an undershirt with an Iranian flag. Federal law enforcement sources described him as a 53-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen born in Senegal and living in Pflugerville, Texas.
Melugin later reported that the suspect was naturalized into U.S. citizenship in 2013 during the Obama administration.
Several victims remain hospitalized, some in critical condition, as investigators continue reviewing evidence and interviewing witnesses. What began as a late-night shooting has now become a federal terrorism inquiry, with more updates expected as the investigation unfolds.
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