NATIONAL NEWS – Mass shooter in Austin, Texas kills 2; may have been motivated by strikes on Iran

By Renae Hefty, Staff writer

On Sunday morning, an armed gunman located on Sixth Street in Austin, Texas, attacked revelers as they were leaving the crowded bars and swarming the streets.  The popular spot in Austin for students attending the University of Texas at Austin, became the scene of a mass shooting, as the suspect, identified as Ndiaga Diagne, 53, killed Ryder Harrington, 19 and Savitha Shan, 24, and injured 14 others in the shooting.

The shooter parked a large SUV in front of a bar and started shooting at patrons in front of the bar and on the patio with a pistol. Law enforcement said Diagne then drove west on Sixth Street, parked, and got out of the vehicle with a rifle and started shooting at pedestrians walking by. Police officers intercepted Diagne at an intersection and killed him. 

Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said at a news conference on Monday that two victims were in critical condition and one other was expected to be taken off life support. His motivations are unknown, but the FBI is investigating the incident as a possible act of terrorism. During the shooting, Diagne wore a shirt with an Iranian flag on it and a sweatshirt over it that read “Property of Allah.” He was orginally from Senegal and had been a US citizen since April 5, 2013. On Sunday, law enforcement searched a home in the Austin suburb in Pflugerville that was reportedly connected to the suspect.