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3 things to know about the Austin mass shooting suspect, possible terror ties

By Samantha Kamman, Christian Post Reporter
Members of the FBI conduct an investigation near Buford's bar in downtown Austin, Texas, on March 01, 2026. Three people are dead and 14 others hospitalized following a mass shooting early Sunday morning.
Members of the FBI conduct an investigation near Buford's bar in downtown Austin, Texas, on March 01, 2026. Three people are dead and 14 others hospitalized following a mass shooting early Sunday morning. | Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Federal and local authorities are reviewing evidence of a “potential nexus to terrorism” after a gunman opened fire outside a bar in downtown Austin, Texas, on Sunday, killing three people and injuring over a dozen others. 

Authorities identified the shooter as Ndiaga Diagne, 53, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Senegal. He arrived in the U.S. on March 13, 2000, on a B‑2 tourist visa, according to the Department of Homeland Security, and married a U.S. citizen in 2006, thereby obtaining permanent residence. 

Diagne carried out the attack at around 2 a.m. Central time outside Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden and was later killed by the police. 

According to ABC News affiliate KVUE, the third victim of the mass shooting, 30-year-old Jorge Pederson, was removed from life support on Monday. The two other victims killed during the attack were identified as 19-year-old Ryder Harrington and 21-year-old Savitha Shan.

Investigators are reviewing statements from around 150 witnesses and are attempting to determine a motive for the mass shooting, KVUE reported. 

Here are three things to know about the Austin shooting suspect and his potential motive.

Samantha Kamman is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: samantha.kamman@christianpost.com. Follow her on Twitter: @Samantha_Kamman

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