Tributes have been paid to people killed in a mass shooting at a Texas bar – as it was confirmed a third victim has died.Austin Police announced on Monday evening that Jorge Pederson, 30, had died from his injuries.
The other two victims of the shooting on Austin’s West 6th Street have been identified as Savitha Shan, 21, and Ryder Harrington, 19, who were both university students.The gunman, identified as 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne by the Department of Homeland Security, was fatally shot by officers at the scene.
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Ndiaga Diagne. Pic: Austin Police Department/AP
Though police said it was too early to identify Diagne’s motive, the shooting is being investigated as a potential act of terrorism.
Law enforcement officials told The Associated Press that Diagne was wearing clothes with an Iranian flag design and the words “Property of Allah”. He had not been on the radar of authorities, federal and local investigators said on Monday.More than a dozen people were also wounded in the shooting, during which Diagne drove past Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden before circling back and firing with a pistol from his SUV at people on the footpath and inside the bar.
Police say he then got out of the car and began shooting at people with a rifle.
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Buford’s bar where the shooting took place. Pic: Reuters
Mr Harrington’s brother paid tribute to youngest victim, on Facebook, saying it was “unfair, to say the least, that my little brother was only given 19 years on this earth”.
“Watching the man he had become, and seeing all the lives he touched, leaves me certain that this world was robbed of a great future,” Reed Harington said.Mr Harrington joined the Beta Theta Pi fraternity at Texas Tech University in 2024, the fraternity said in an Instagram post.”Ryder had a rare ability to truly enjoy life to make people laugh, to make moments feel bigger, and to make ordinary days unforgettable,” the fraternity said.”If anyone embodied what it meant to live fully and love deeply, it was Ryder.”Texas Tech said in a statement that Mr Harrington had been enrolled as recently as the autumn 2025 semester but had not been taking classes during the current semester.”Our thoughts are with Ryder’s family, friends, and all those affected by this devastating situation,” the statement said.
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A police officer at the scene of the shooting. Pic: AP
Ms Shan’s LinkedIn profile said she was a dual-degree student majoring in management information systems and economics at the University of Texas at Austin.The university’s president Jim Davis said her death was “devastating” and that several other students were wounded in the attack.”Some of these are very serious and we are hoping for the best outcomes, while others are on the path to recovery,” he said.”I have met with many of these families and will continue to pray for them.”
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A bar worker repairs a bullet hole on West 6th Street, Austin on Monday – the day after the mass shooting in the city’s entertainment district. Pic: AP
Read more from Jattvibe:Brits stranded in Doha and Dubai tell of strikes and evacuationsVideos of Clinton depositions in Epstein investigation releasedThe shooting took place a day after the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran, and authorities are investigating a potential link to global political events.”Our ultimate goal in everything we do is to determine the motive,” Alex Doran, the acting agent in charge of the FBI’s San Antonio office, said during a news conference.Investigators are examining thousands of hours of video and police said there are more than 150 witnesses to interview.”We are still in the early hours of this investigation,” said Austin Police chief Lisa Davis.
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Austin Police chief Lisa Davis. Pic: AP
The gunman legally bought the weapons used in the attack – a rifle and a pistol – several years ago in San Antonio, Ms Davis said.
Diagne was from Senegal and first entered the US in 2000 on a B-2 tourist visa, before becoming a lawful permanent resident six years later after marrying an American, the US Department of Homeland Security said.Three people were taken to hospital in a critical condition, though police said on Monday one victim would be taken off life support, Jattvibe’s US partner Jattvibe News reports.
