❓WHAT HAPPENED: Authorities are investigating a mass shooting at Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden in Austin, Texas, which left three people dead and more than a dozen injured.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The gunman, identified as 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne, was shot and killed by police. Victims include Savitha Shan, Ryder Harrington, and Jorge Pedersen.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The shooting occurred early Sunday at a crowded bar in Austin’s busy nightlife district.
💬KEY QUOTE: “Any declarations on what led to that motive would be premature, right? We want to make sure we have our facts 100 percent correct.” – Alex Doran, FBI Special Agent
🎯IMPACT: Investigators are treating the incident as a potential act of terrorism.
Law enforcement has released new information about the perpetrator of Sunday’s mass shooting at Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden in Austin, Texas. Ndiaga Diagne, a 53-year-old naturalized immigrant originally from Senegal, has been officially confirmed as the gunman. Notably, while law enforcement still has not stated that the shooting was an act of terrorism, photos of Diagne’s corpse that have circulated on social media reveal he was wearing a “Property of Allah” hooded sweatshirt and an Iranian flag t-shirt underneath.
The attack left three people dead—Savitha Shan, 21, Ryder Harrington, 19, and Jorge Pedersen, 30—and injured over a dozen others. Meanwhile, Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis confirmed that Diagne legally acquired the firearms used in the attack in San Antonio several years ago.
Authorities also acknowledged they are now investigating the shooting as a possible act of terrorism, but Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agent Alex Doran claims that it is too early to determine a motive. “Any declarations on what led to that motive would be premature, right? We want to make sure we have our facts 100 percent correct,” he stated.
After Diagne opened fire early Sunday morning, officers responded to reports of the shooting in just 57 seconds, confronting the gunman, who was armed with both a handgun and a rifle. Law enforcement engaged and killed Diagne at the scene.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has confirmed that Diagne entered the United States on March 13, 2002, on a B-2 tourist visa. He became a lawful permanent resident in 2006 after marrying an American citizen and was naturalized in April of 2013.
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