An energetic night out in the region of Austin notorious entertainment turned into a carnage scene early Sunday morning when a gunman opened fire on customers outside a popular bar. One of those who was killed is Savitha Shan (21), an Indian-American student, a high-achieving student at the University of Texas at Austin, who was just months from graduation.
The shooting took place around 1:40 AM outside Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden on West Sixth Street. The gunman, 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne, first opened fire from a moving SUV and, to stop, exiting the vehicle, began to commit an assault with a rifle, authorities said. Within 57 seconds, police opened fire on the suspect and fatally wounded him on the scene.
A Community in Mourning
Savitha Shan, a dual-degree student in Management Information Systems and Economics. She was a graduate of LASA High School and an Austin native, and just months from graduation. “She was a Longhorn coming to change the world,” the campus leader Jim Davis said in a campus-wide message. “It is devastating…. we will remember her.”
Ryder Harrington, a 19-year-old student at Texas Tech University, was also killed in the shooting. At least 14 other people were injured, a few of them in critical condition.
FBI Investigates Potential Connections to Terrorism
The FBI and its Joint Terrorism Task Force have joined the investigation citing “indicators” that have been found on the suspect and in his vehicle. Formally there’s still no motive to be announced however, we have some pretty high stakes info:
- Suspect Identity: Diagne was a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Senegal.
- Iranian Connection: The suspect reportedly wore a shirt with an Iranian flag design, and a sweatshirt emblazoned with words that read "Property of Allah," during the attack.
- Geopolitical Timing: The shooting occurred just less than 48 hours after a high-profile U.S.-Israel attack on Iran that is said to have killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Investigators are now looking into Diagne’s digital records, including social media posts from the Site Intelligence Group that are said to reflect “pro-Iranian regime sentiment and hatred of Israeli and American leadership.”
Heightened security across Texas
Greg Abbott, the state’s governor, pledged a “swift and aggressive” response to any threats to our own borders stemming from the Middle East conflict. “We are not going to be intimidated and we are not going to be frightened,” Abbott said. The Indian-American community in Austin, which boasts many technology professionals and students, has expressed great concern about the incident, the agency said. Many are urging for heightened safety in public areas as regional discord spills further over into domestic violence.
