Austin’s deadliest mass shooting in six decades tore through West Sixth Street early Sunday, killing four people, including the gunman, and injuring 13 others near Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden.
According to APD Chief Lisa Davis, just before 2am on March 1 the suspect drove a large SUV around the block several times before stopping near Buford’s, turning on his flashers, rolling down the window and firing a pistol into the patio and crowd gathered outside. He then drove west on Sixth Street, parked on Wood Street and began walking east with an assault rifle, shooting at people along the way.
Officers confronted him at an intersection, where they shot and killed him, Davis said. The first 911 call came in at 1:58am, and EMS officials said medical care was on scene within about 57 seconds. Two victims and the gunman were pronounced dead at the scene, and 14 others were transported to area hospitals, several in critical condition.
Nathan Comeaux, a UT senior, had just left Buford’s to grab pizza across the street when the gunfire began. Sitting at a nearby food truck pavilion, he said he heard “15 to 20 loud bangs,” though no one nearby immediately knew what they were hearing.
“We thought it could have been anything, maybe a car backfiring,” Comeaux said. “I was five minutes away from being on the patio as well so it could have been me lying dead on the porch.”
By Sunday evening, police identified the suspect as 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne of Pflugerville, originally from Senegal. Authorities said he legally purchased the firearms used in the attack. The Austin American-Statesman reported on court records documenting a history of domestic violence in Diagne’s past.
Travis County D.A. José Garza said he would not charge the officers who killed the gunman in any capacity, referring to them as “heroes.”
The FBI joined the investigation after what they described as preliminary evidence that pointed to a “potential nexus to terrorism,” including clothing that said “Property of Allah” and a shirt bearing an Iranian flag design. Law enforcement said they are still investigating Diagne’s motive.
As investigators began sorting through evidence and more than 150 witness accounts, Davis described the events surrounding the shooting as “some of the most challenging of my career.” As the picture sharpened, authorities also confirmed the three victims by Monday: Ryder Harrington, 19; Savitha Shan, 21; and Jorge Pederson, 30.
Harrington, a Texas Tech student, was remembered by family as the youngest of the Harrington siblings, and the one who carried pieces of each of them. In a post shared after his death, his brother Reed wrote, “Ryder was the best mix of all the Harrington crew. … It is unfair, to say the least, that my little brother was only given 19 years on this earth.”
Shan was a UT-Austin student. Shan’s parents described her as “a bright, compassionate, and deeply caring young woman whose presence brought warmth, comfort, and joy to everyone who knew her,” saying her death has left an irreplaceable void in their lives.
Pederson was announced last. Austin police said Monday night that the 30-year-old, who had been hospitalized since the shooting, was taken off life support and died. Tributes described him as a fighter in the MMA community who had been training toward a professional debut.
West Sixth in Mourning
By Monday afternoon, West Sixth looked different.
Where music and patio chatter usually spill into the street, a flower memorial began forming against the brick outside Buford’s. Handwritten notes were tucked between the bouquets. People slowed down as they passed.
At a press conference, Mayor Kirk Watson pointed to that kind of response as the city’s first reflex. “I want to also say how proud I am and how the people of this city have reacted with such great compassion,” he said. “We’re all mourning together and grieving as a group, but we’re seeing tremendous compassion and love coming out of the people of Austin.”
Julia Elwood and her mother walked up to Buford’s carrying their own flowers. They live at the 360 Condominiums overlooking the strip and had woken up early Sunday to sirens and flashing lights below. “I woke up, and I was in my room, and I saw a bunch of police coming this way,” Elwood said. She woke her mom up, ran to the balcony and heard more shots. “We watched ambulances come. We saw people on the stretcher,” she said. “It was horrible.”
Across the street, David Boatride, manager of Woody’s Bar, said most of the bars along West Sixth, including his, closed Sunday in solidarity. “We do want to get back open and continue business as usual,” Boatride said. But he acknowledged the uncertainty ahead. “When anything like this happens, there’s going to be some sores with business,” he said.
Boatride said he saw someone get shot and immediately moved his staff to the back of the bar for protection. “We know tons of bartenders who work at Buford’s. We’re really close with everyone on the street, so it affected us big time.”
“I don’t want to stop talking about it because we need to keep uplifting the victims.”
Council member Zo Qadri
On the sidewalk closest to the scene, three pedicab drivers who work West Sixth most weekends said they were within feet of the gunshots and that March 1 was the worst night they witnessed in their decades-long careers. One driver, Alex Freeman, said he was right in front of Buford’s and saw patrons dragging injured individuals into the bar for cover.
“It’s typical gridlock too at that hour, because you got Ubers and people trying to leave, so that just added to the chaos,” Freeman said.
By Monday, the block was reopening in pieces. Some bars flipped their lights back on. Others remained closed. The flowers accumulated.
District 9 Council Member Talks Downtown Safety
While Sixth Street has long been a flash point for safety concerns tied to Austin’s nightlife, District 9 City Council Member Zo Qadri – whose district includes West Sixth – said the city had already put emergency response measures in place for scenarios like Sunday’s shooting.
Qadri pointed to the Counter Assault Strike Team, or CAST, medical team stationed in entertainment districts. The joint APD and Austin EMS unit was designed to respond quickly to mass casualty incidents, and that’s how they responded in under a minute to the unfolding tragedy.
“I don’t want to stop talking about it because we need to keep uplifting the victims. I’m very thankful for APD, EMS, and the CAST Med Team on Sixth Street. They responded quickly and saved countless lives,” he said.
Qadri also said his office plans to evaluate the response and talk with folks on the ground about what went well and what did not: “If we can improve things, let’s do it.”
As the city grappled with the aftermath, Qadri also helped organize a blood drive with We Are Blood outside Austin City Hall on Monday. Qadri said the response was overwhelming: 123 people signed up to donate, and the drive reached capacity hours early.
UT student Gianna Galante said she came to donate after witnessing the impact of the shooting on friends and classmates. “Seeing what happened Sunday morning, I really wanted to show up for my community and give back in any possible way,” she said.
This article appears in March 6 • 2026.