Three people were killed and 14 others were wounded in a mass shooting early Sunday at a busy bar in downtown Austin, Texas, authorities said. The incident took place just before 2 a.m. outside Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden, a popular venue in the city’s entertainment district.
Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said officers were called to reports of a “male shooting” and arrived within about a minute of the first call. When they encountered a man armed with a gun, “we returned fire, killing the suspect,” Davis said at a news briefing.
Emergency services found three people dead at the scene, including the suspected gunman, and 14 others were taken to hospitals with injuries, three of them described as critical by Austin-Travis County EMS Chief Robert Luckritz.
“We received a call at 1:39 a.m. and within 57 seconds, the first paramedics and officers were on scene actively treating the patients,” Luckritz said.
Mayor Kirk Watson acknowledged the rapid response by first responders. “They definitely saved lives,” Watson said, highlighting how quickly police and rescue teams reached the area near West Sixth Street and Nueces Avenue.
Law enforcement identified the gunman as 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne, a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Senegal, according to officials familiar with the investigation. Sources told reporters he was wearing a sweatshirt with religious references and another shirt featuring an Iranian flag emblem. Authorities said he used both a pistol and a rifle during the attack. Officers shot and killed him at the scene.
BREAKING: @FoxNews has obtained a photo of the Austin, TX mass shooter, armed & wearing a sweater that says “Property of Allah”. He has not been identified by authorities, but multiple federal law enforcement sources tell FOX he is a 53-year-old naturalized US citizen who was… pic.twitter.com/YjyT8sIuBr
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) March 1, 2026
Videos circulating on social media and obtained by local news showed people on the ground being treated by paramedics as crowds nearby sought cover. The shooting occurred in Austin’s nightlife corridor, which is typically crowded on weekend nights.
BREAKING – The FBI now believes the mass shooting at a bar in Austin, Texas, that killed three and injured 14 was an “act of terrorism.” pic.twitter.com/r1IconygIX
— Right Angle News Network (@Rightanglenews) March 1, 2026
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and other federal agencies, including the Joint Terrorism Task Force, are assisting the investigation. Acting FBI Special Agent in Charge Alex Doran said there were “indicators on the subject and in his vehicle that indicate [a] potential nexus to terrorism,” but he added that it was “still too early to make a determination on that.”
Authorities have not publicly disclosed a motive. The FBI said it is investigating the shooting as a possible act of terrorism due to evidence found on the gunman and in his vehicle. No formal charges or official classification of motive have been announced.
There have been at least two other high-profile shootings in Austin’s Sixth Street entertainment district in the past five years. In June 2021, an altercation involving teenagers left one person dead and 14 others wounded near Mooseknuckle Pub on East Sixth Street, according to police reports. This weekend’s incident, while not meeting some definitions of a mass killing, was among five shooting events reported so far this year in the city’s nightlife area that resulted in multiple casualties.
The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force is assisting with the current investigation, and officials have noted indicators that may relate to recent geopolitical tensions, including the U.S.–Israeli military campaign against Iran.
Investigators continue to process the scene and have asked for any additional video or witness accounts to aid the probe. Family members of victims have not yet been publicly identified, and local hospitals have not released updates on the conditions of those injured.
Featured image by Ricardo B. Brazziell/AP
