Austin mass shooting may have been motivated by Iran strikes, officials say. Here’s what we know
By Amanda Musa, Hanna Park, Holly Yan, CNN
(CNN) — Early Sunday morning, just as bars along Austin’s bustling Sixth Street were winding down for the night, a barrage of gunfire tore through the popular entertainment district in the heart of Texas’ capital.
A man in a large SUV rolled down his window and opened fire on bar patrons outside, Austin police said. He continued his assault by driving down the street, getting out of the SUV and “shooting at people walking by,” authorities said.
By the end of the rampage, two people were dead and 14 others were injured. The suspect was also killed, police said.
While the motive for the deadly onslaught has not been confirmed, authorities are investigating whether the suspect was inspired by this weekend’s US and Israeli strikes on Iran, multiple law enforcement officials briefed on the case said.
Investigators are also digging into the man’s criminal history and his mental health records, sources said.
Here’s what we know:
Was Iran a factor?
Austin police identified the suspect as 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne in a post on X Sunday evening.
The suspect was wearing a shirt with an Iranian flag design on it underneath a hoodie printed with “Property of Allah,” a law enforcement official told CNN.
“Obviously, it’s still way too early in the process to determine an exact motivation, but there were indicators on the subject and then his vehicle that indicate a potential nexus to terrorism,” Alex Doran, acting special agent in charge of the FBI’s San Antonio division, said Sunday morning.
A bevy of law enforcement officers arrived Sunday at a home connected to the suspect in Pflugerville, a suburb of Austin, CNN affiliate KEYE reported.
Investigators hauled boxes of items from the home and examined a car in the driveway, KEYE reported.
Authorities searching the home were likely investigating computers and phones to determine if the suspect read any propaganda or left any writings indicating what he intended to do, an official told CNN.
Who is the suspect?
Diagne entered the United States on March 13, 2000, on a B‑2 tourist visa, a Department of Homeland Security official told CNN. In June 2006, he adjusted his status to lawful permanent resident based on marriage to a US citizen. He naturalized on April 5, 2013.
Diagne was originally from Senegal, a law enforcement official familiar with the investigation told CNN.
Upon arriving in the US, Diagne initially settled in New York and eventually made his way to Texas, although it’s not clear when, the official said. He had multiple addresses in the Lone Star State, the official added.
In 2022, he was arrested in Texas on a charge of collision with vehicle damage, a misdemeanor offense, according to the DHS official.
Authorities are also reviewing past mental health encounters the suspect had while living in Texas, multiple law enforcement officials have said.
CNN has reached out to the Austin Police Department and the FBI’s San Antonio division for more details.
How did the shooting unfold?
The deadly attack is among 56 mass shootings in the US so far this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
The violence erupted along a stretch of Sixth Street, known for its dense concentration of bars and live music venues. The vibrant corridor is a short drive from the University of Texas at Austin, which has 55,000 students.
Authorities first received a call about a man shooting from a large SUV outside Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden, Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said.
“At one point, he put his flashers on, rolled down his window, and began using a pistol, shooting out of his car windows, striking patrons of the bar that were on the patio and that were in front of the bar,” Davis said.
The suspect then drove west on Sixth Street, parked his SUV and got out with a rifle, the police chief said. He then began shooting at people walking by, she said.
Authorities reached the suspect in less than a minute, Davis said.
“Our suspect was coming toward East Austin or East Sixth Street, officers were coming toward him, and at the intersection, he was shot and he was killed,” Davis said.
Video from the scene shows law enforcement officers running toward the scene as people duck for cover.
Nathan Comeaux, a 22-year-old University of Texas senior, told CNN he left Buford’s around 1:45 a.m. to get pizza from a food truck across the street. Just before 2 a.m., he and his friends suddenly heard gunshots.
“At first, no one was panicking,” Comeaux said. “There were probably 15 people eating pizza there, and we thought it was like fireworks or a car backfiring or something.”
Because no one initially ran, he said, they kept eating. It wasn’t until police arrived that they realized something was wrong.
“We see the lights coming up, and then everyone starts to run, like, ‘Oh, God. Like, this is real,’” Comeaux said. “So people start running, and then the cops start running.”
Who are the victims?
Officials have not released the names or ages of the two people killed or the 14 people injured.
UT Austin President Jim Davis said the tragedy included “members of our Longhorn family.”
“Our prayers are with the victims and all those impacted,” he said in a statement.
Paramedics in the area responded quickly, according to Robert Luckritz, Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services chief.
“We had more than 20 EMS resources that responded to the scene. We had all critical patients off the scene within 24 minutes, and all patients off the scene within 47 minutes,” Luckritz said.
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson offered his condolences to the victims and their families and praised first responders for their fearless, rapid response.
“They definitely saved lives,” Watson said.
Three of those hospitalized were in critical condition, officials said.
Gov. Greg Abbott condemned the attack and directed the state’s Department of Public Safety to increase patrols and law enforcement personnel in the Sixth Street area on weekends.
Abbott also warned the state would respond aggressively to anyone “using the current conflict in the Middle East to threaten Texans.” He ordered the Texas Military Department to activate patrols to protect communities and critical infrastructure, including energy facilities and ports.
“This act of violence will not define us,” he said, “nor will it shake the resolve of Texans.”
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CNN’s Sarah Dewberry, Chris Boyette, Holmes Lybrand, John Miller and Karina Tsui contributed to this report.
