Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
- Two college students were killed in a shooting on Austin's Sixth Street.
- Suspect Ndiaga Diagne, 53, wore clothing with Iranian flag and "Property of Allah."
- Authorities investigated possible motives, including recent U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran.
AUSTIN, Texas — Early Sunday, just as bars along Austin's bustling Sixth Street were winding down for the night, a barrage of gunfire tore through the popular entertainment district in the heart of Texas' capital, killing two college students.
A man in a large SUV rolled down his window and opened fire on bar patrons outside, Austin police said. He continued his assault by driving down the street, getting out of the SUV and "shooting at people walking by," authorities said.
By the end of the rampage, two people were dead and 14 others were injured. The suspect was also killed, police said. The two killed were Texas Tech student Ryder Harrington and Savitha Shan, 21, Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said at a news conference Monday. Harrington's family said he was 19. (Police initially provided different ages.)
Shan was a student at the University of Texas, the school's president, Jim Davis, confirmed to CNN affiliate KVUE.
One patient is expected to be taken off life support Monday, and two other patients were in critical condition, Davis said when asked about hospitalized patients. When asked to clarify the chief's comment about life support, an official said she would look into that.
While the motive for the deadly onslaught has not been confirmed, authorities are investigating whether the suspect was motivated by this weekend's U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, multiple law enforcement officials briefed on the case said.
Investigators are also digging into the man's criminal history and his mental health records, sources said.
Here's what we know:
Was Iran a factor?
Austin police identified the suspect as 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne in a post on X Sunday evening.
The suspect was wearing a shirt with an Iranian flag design on it underneath a hoodie printed with "Property of Allah," a law enforcement official told CNN.
Investigators are looking for connections and interviewing witnesses, Alex Doran, acting special agent in charge of the FBI's San Antonio division, said at a news conference Monday. Agents are also reviewing "thousands of hours of video," according to Doran.
The investigation also involves sorting through a high volume of both digital and physical evidence, so "we don't want to speculate or make any guesses at this stage of the investigation as to what that motive ultimately was," he said.
A bevy of law enforcement officers arrived Sunday at a home connected to the suspect in Pflugerville, a suburb of Austin, CNN affiliate KEYE reported.
Investigators hauled boxes of items from the home and examined a car in the driveway, KEYE reported.
Authorities searching the home were likely investigating computers and phones to determine if the suspect read any propaganda or left any writings indicating what he intended to do, an official told CNN.
Investigators were trying to identify a motive on Monday, Davis said. After the initial scene was secured, police called federal officials to "address concerns of potential terrorism," the chief said. Austin police will also rely on their federal partners to investigate whether, for instance, his clothing helped point to a motive, Davis said Monday.
"In addition to the fact that this was a huge, complex scene, we're calling in those federal partners to take a look at that as well," Davis said. "The motives, all of those things, that's what this investigation is about."
The suspect was not previously on the radar of Austin police or the FBI, officials at Monday's news conference said.
Who is the suspect?
Diagne entered the United States on March 13, 2000, on a B‑2 tourist visa, a Department of Homeland Security official told CNN. In June 2006, he adjusted his status to lawful permanent resident based on marriage to a U.S. citizen. He naturalized on April 5, 2013.
Diagne was originally from Senegal, a law enforcement official familiar with the investigation told CNN.
Upon arriving in the U.S., Diagne initially settled in New York and eventually made his way to Texas, although it's not clear when, the official said. He had multiple addresses in the Lone Star State, the official added.
In 2022, he was arrested in Texas on a charge of collision with vehicle damage, a misdemeanor offense, according to the DHS official.
Authorities are also reviewing past mental health encounters the suspect had while living in Texas, multiple law enforcement officials have said.
CNN has reached out to the Austin Police Department and the FBI's San Antonio division for more details.
