This article was co-published with the Austin Current, a local nonprofit newsroom that provides Austinites with the information they need to navigate daily life. Subscribe to the Current’s newsletter for the latest news and updates from across Austin.
Authorities have named the two victims killed in the downtown Austin shooting as 21-year-old Savitha Shan and 19-year-old Ryder Harrington, as the investigation into the suspected gunman continues.
One of the three victims who were in critical condition after the shooting may also be taken off life support Monday, Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said during a Monday news conference. Fourteen people were injured in the shooting.
Federal, state and local law enforcement are continuing to investigate the suspected gunman, 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne. The FBI has called the shooting a “potential act of terrorism” and its Joint Terrorism Task Force is involved in the investigation.
“Our ultimate goal and everything we do is to determine the motive,” said Alex Doran, acting special agent in charge of FBI San Antonio. “We are poring through thousands of hours of video. We have massive amounts of both digital and physical evidence, and this is an around the clock, 24-hour investigation at this point, and any declarations on what led to that motive would be premature.”
Earlier in the day, Gov. Greg Abbott said at another news conference that authorities are investigating to determine whether the suspected shooter acted alone.
“The FBI is working in collaboration with the Texas Department of Public Safety as well as others, and they want to track down every last detail about the shooter’s connection to terrorism,” Abbott said.
“Who was he in contact with? Where did he get information from? Did he have any other connection? And we will not rest until every last trail or piece of information is pursued to determine if there’s anybody else involved in this whatsoever.”
The first call about the shooting at Buford’s, a popular beer garden that sits among several nightlife venues on West 6th Street, came just before 2 a.m. Sunday.
A large SUV drove around the block several times before Diagne allegedly shot from his vehicle with a pistol, Davis said during a Sunday news conference. The suspected gunman then parked his vehicle before exiting it and continued shooting with a rifle, Davis said.
The police chief said Monday that the suspected gunman had obtained the firearms legally in San Antonio in 2017.
First responders were able to reach the scene within a minute, and police fatally shot Diagne.
The suspected gunman wore a sweatshirt with “Property of Allah” across the front and a shirt with an Iranian flag design during the shooting, which took place amid the escalating conflict between the U.S. and Iran.
Republican politicians have also focused on Diagne’s status as a naturalized U.S. citizen. The Department of Homeland Security said he entered the country from Senegal on a tourist visa in 2000, became a lawful permanent resident after marrying a U.S. citizen in 2006 and was naturalized in 2013.
When asked about his criminal history, DHS said Diagne was arrested in Texas in 2022 for collision with vehicle damage. The New York Post reported, citing anonymous sources, that he also was arrested in New York City for “illegal vending” in 2001 and was arrested three other times between 2006 and 2016, though those cases are sealed. The newspaper didn’t say whether he was convicted following those arrests.
Arrests generally don’t automatically bar green cards or naturalization, according to Denise Gilman, director of the Immigration Clinic at the University of Texas at Austin.
Davis also said Monday that the suspected gunman was not on the Austin Police Department’s radar prior to the shooting.
Both APD and the FBI executed search warrants at two residences connected to Diagne, one in Pflugerville and the other in Del Valle. Davis said the department could release the suspect’s criminal history and background as soon as Thursday. Both agencies said Diagne was not on their radars prior to the shooting.
Shooting victims were college students
Both Harrington and Shan were college students. Shan was a dual degree student at the University of Texas at Austin, while Harrington attended Texas Tech University.
Shan, an Austin native, graduated from Baranoff Elementary and LASA High School, KUT reported.
UT Austin President Jim Davis released a statement on Tuesday confirming Shan’s death.
Shan was “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,” he wrote. “We will remember her.”
Davis said a number of UT students sustained injuries in the Sunday morning shooting.
“Some of these are very serious, and we are hoping for the best outcomes, while others are on the path to recovery. I have met with many of these families and will continue to pray for them,” he wrote.
Chief Davis didn’t say whether the victim who likely would be taken off life support was a UT student.
Harrington was a member of the Beta Theta Phi fraternity.
“Ryder was a beloved son, brother, and friend whose kindness and presence touched countless lives. From the moment he joined our brotherhood, he brought a light that was impossible to ignore,” wrote Asher Chang, a fellow fraternity member, on a GoFundMe page he organized.
In an X post, Texas Tech Chancellor Brandon Creighton said Harrington’s death has “shaken” the university community.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with them during this unimaginable time of grief,” Creighton wrote.
Disclosure: The University of Texas at Austin has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.
Learn about The Texas Tribune’s policies, including our partnership with The Trust Project to increase transparency in news.
