Austin 6th Street shooting: Total of 19 people shot, says APD

AUSTIN, Texas - Austin police now say a total of 19 people, including the gunman, were shot Sunday outside a downtown Austin bar. 

Three people have died, including two college students on the scene. Two remain in the hospital with one in critical condition.

The suspect was shot and killed by police at the scene.

What they're saying:

The Austin Police Department released new information and material during a news conference at Austin Police Headquarters about the officer-involved shooting.

Austin police chief Lisa Davis gave a more complete picture of the incident.

Austin 911 received multiple calls about a shooting outside of Buford's at 700 W 6th Street. Austin police and EMS responded within a minute and began administering first aid to multiple gunshot victims.

"There has been a shooting at Buford's on 6th Street. There are people dead over here. There have been multiple people shot, we need help right now," one 911 caller said in the audio released by police.

The investigation so far has revealed that a black Cadillac SUV was traveling south on Rio Grande Street when it pulled alongside Buford's and the driver began firing a semi-automatic handgun at the crowd of people standing outside the bar. Several people were hit.

The vehicle then continued west and parked near the intersection of W 6th Street and Wood; the suspect then got out of the SUV with an AR-15, fired it at a pedestrian, then walked back to the bar. 

Officers were directed to the suspect's location by "brave people that were caught in this nightmare," said Davis. Officers then worked to move bystanders to safety and establish a secure perimeter.

At 2:03 a.m., three officers found the suspect near the intersection of W 6th Street and West Avenue. The suspect fired at the officers, who returned fire, striking the suspect multiple times. Officers took him into custody and requested medical assistance, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

"I want to again recognize the bravery of our officers. You saw that firsthand as they ran into danger to stop this. It is quite clear that they saved multiple lives," Davis said.

The suspect has since been identified as 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne, a naturalized US citizen born in Senegal who lived in Pflugerville. He was reportedly caught in images wearing a sweatshirt that read "Property of Allah" and had been wearing a T-shirt underneath with an Iranian flag on it.

Davis also spoke on the "potential nexus to terrorism."

"We are not ready to talk about exactly what that nexus is, but again, from that early on the scene, calling in the FBI was the right thing to do," Davis said.

Davis said Thursday that the Austin Police Department had had no contact with Diagne before the shooting and that his only interaction with law enforcement was in 2022 for a welfare check related to his mental health.

"I'm hearing is they gave him resources to call that type of thing, so I don't think the check welfare led to any commitment from there," Davis said.

Davis said that the total number of people shot Sunday has risen to 19. 

Two people died at the scene, 21-year-old UT Austin student Savitha Shan and 19-year-old Texas Tech student Ryder Harrington. 30-year-old Jorge Pederson, a Minnesotan MMA fighter who had just moved to Austin for work, died the following day after being taken off life support.

"I don't think any of us can imagine what these families are going through right now, the suffering that they are dealing with, but our hearts are with them," Davis said.

There are still two victims in the hospital, according to Davis. One of them is still in critical condition. 

Video, 911 call audio released

Austin police have released select videos, police radio traffic audio, and 911 call audio from the shooting.

Davis stated that APD will not be releasing any video showing the suspect firing his pistol into the crowd as it is "too graphic to show."

What happened?

The backstory:

It began with a call to police around 1:40 a.m. about a man shooting at Buford's. When police arrived at the scene, they confronted a man with a gun and "returned fire, killing the suspect," said Austin police chief Lisa Davis at a previous news conference on March 1.

Davis said that the gunman had two weapons during the shooting, but never entered the bar; instead he drove by, fired outside the window with a pistol, then parked his vehicle nearby and got out with a rifle.

Davis said an explosives team was called in to evaluate the gunman's vehicle after investigators found concerning items inside. No bombs were found, however.

Davis added during a March 2 press conference that the guns used in the shooting were legally purchased in 2017. The gunman was also not on APD or the FBI's radar, according to law enforcement.

DA not to charge officers who shot, killed suspect

Dig deeper:

The Travis County District Attorney's Office formally ended the review of the Austin police officers who fired their weapons at the gunman during the mass shooting. 

Travis County DA Jose Garza released the following statement below:

"These officers are heroes, and it should go without saying that my office is not seeking any charges and would not seek charges. The accounts to the contrary are false, intentionally false, and are being peddled for obvious political purposes.

We are proud to work with our partners at the Austin Police Department every day and are so grateful for the bravery that these officers showed.

We also grieve with our community members who lost loved ones during this horrendous act of violence and are disgusted by the leaders in Texas using their deaths to score political points."