(AUSTIN, TEXAS) — Austin police officers shot and killed Ndiaga Diagne after authorities say he opened fire outside Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden on Sixth Street, killing two people and injuring 14 others in a fast-moving early-morning attack that investigators are examining for potential terrorism indicators.
Police said the gunfire erupted outside the crowded bar area and unfolded within minutes, with officers confronting the shooter at the scene and stopping him quickly after the first 911 calls. Two victims died, and three of the wounded suffered critical injuries.
Authorities identified the dead as 19-year-old Ryder Harrington, a former Texas Tech student, and 21-year-old Savitha Shan, a UT Austin student. Police did not provide additional victim details in the information released.
Early accounts from officials described a rapid progression from the first shots to the police shooting that killed the suspect. Investigators continued to reconstruct the sequence using witness statements and video from the area.
Federal authorities and Austin officials said Diagne’s immigration history has drawn immediate political attention alongside the gunfire itself, because investigators confirmed he had become a U.S. citizen after first coming to the country as a visitor.
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed in statements to multiple outlets that Diagne entered the United States on a B-2 tourist visa, later obtained lawful permanent resident status after marrying a U.S. citizen, and later became a naturalized U.S. citizen. DHS provided a detailed timeline with specific milestones, which officials cited as central to separating verified records from commentary circulating after the attack.
Officials said Diagne was a Senegalese national who lived in Pflugerville, Texas, at the time of the shooting. He was 53 years old, authorities said.
Naturalized citizens are U.S. citizens under the law, a distinction that affects how officials describe what immigration screening can and cannot capture once someone completes the legal process to citizenship. The shooter’s status also shapes which agencies and legal authorities drive the inquiry, with federal investigators focusing on the attack itself and any potential terrorism nexus, rather than immigration enforcement.
Investigators also disclosed prior addresses connected to Diagne, including the Bronx and a brief period in San Antonio. The New York City Police Department arrested him in the Bronx for illegal vending, authorities said, without providing further details in the information released.
Police described the shooting as beginning from a vehicle outside the bar, with Diagne driving a Cadillac Escalade SUV and circling the block multiple times before firing at people on the patio. Officers and investigators said he fired a pistol from the window at patio patrons, then got out and continued shooting with a rifle.
Austin police said they engaged the suspect at the scene and killed him. Authorities emphasized that officers moved quickly to stop the attack and stabilize the area while medics treated the wounded.
Investigators said the weapons were legally purchased, and authorities reported that additional firearms were found in the SUV. Officials also said Diagne had a Quran inside the vehicle.
The FBI joined the investigation and said it is evaluating the case as potential terrorism because of what authorities called “indicators,” while cautioning that investigators have not confirmed a motive. Those indicators include clothing and items recovered during searches, officials said, along with the broader international context referenced by investigators.
Acting FBI Special Agent in Charge Alex Doran of the San Antonio Field Office cited those “indicators” and described what agents recovered as they executed a search warrant at Diagne’s home. Authorities said he wore a “Property of Allah” hoodie over an Iranian flag-design shirt, and investigators found an Iranian flag and photos of Iranian leaders at his home.
Officials also said the attack followed U.S.-Israel airstrikes on Iran. Investigators did not describe how, or whether, that timing related to Diagne’s decision-making, and Doran said no motive is confirmed.
Law enforcement officials described the terrorism assessment as an evaluation based on preliminary signs, rather than a conclusion. Investigators said they are still working to establish intent and any planning that may have preceded the shooting.
Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis and Mayor Kirk Watson said authorities would release more details later in the week, including Diagne’s criminal history and bodycam footage. Officials have not yet released those materials.
President Donald Trump was briefed by the White House, officials said. The White House did not provide additional details in the information released.
The attack immediately fueled a split political debate that blended immigration narratives with calls for tighter gun laws. Officials and candidates tied their reactions to different policy priorities as investigators continued to gather facts.
Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, highlighted “unvetted” immigration in comments described in the information released. Abbott’s remarks came as DHS and other officials confirmed Diagne’s legal progression from visitor entry to citizenship, a record that became a focal point in rebuttals to claims that he was not screened.
Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico called for gun reforms, including universal background checks and red flag laws, according to statements described in the information released. Talarico’s response focused on firearms access rather than immigration policy.
One commentator claimed Diagne “overstayed for years,” but official records described by authorities showed a legal path to citizenship. Officials did not identify the commentator in the information released.
Investigators continued to ask witnesses for photos and video from Sixth Street, where police said the crowd size and concentration of bars and patios create an abundance of potential camera angles. Officials said more than 150 witnesses were present, a figure that authorities said expands the pool of interviews and the volume of digital evidence.
Authorities also announced a family resource center to support victims and relatives as hospitals treated the injured and detectives worked the scene. Police and city officials did not provide further details about services in the information released, but emphasized that families had a designated place for assistance as the investigation continued.
