Updated Friday at 3:30 p.m.:
More than 150 FBI personnel have been investigating the West Sixth Street shooting, and have gathered more than 2,000 digital images, including CCTV and other camera footage, according to a statement the FBI released Friday.
In addition, officials have served 38 subpoenas, and executed eight search warrants — three on residences, one on an electronic device, and four for email, social media, and other electronic data accounts, the statement said.
Though the physical family assistance center has now closed, the FBI has established a virtual center with information on resources available to those affected by the shooting.
Updated Friday 11:30 a.m.:
Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden will reopen at 6 p.m. tonight, the bar announced on Instagram. It’s been less than a week since a gunman fired into crowds on West Sixth Street, striking people outside the bar and on the patio. For days, a police barricade blocked off the entrance to Buford’s, as a memorial grew outside, where people mourned the three people killed and others injured in the shooting.
“(Forty) of our 41 team members shared they feel ready to return, and we want to support them not only emotionally, but also in their ability to provide for themselves and their families,” the Buford’s statement reads.
The bar is a home for many, Buford’s noted, and returning to it could be helpful for some to heal. Staff also announced they will be donating 100% of sales this weekend to victims and families most impacted by the shooting.
There will be an increased police presence at Sixth and Rio Grande streets, with Rio Grande Street closed off to traffic overnight Friday and Saturday nights.
Updated Thursday at 1 p.m.:
Two people remain at local hospitals, with one in critical condition, following the shooting outside Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden on Sunday, Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said.
During its investigation this week, Austin police learned that 19 people were injured in the shooting, Davis said during an update Thursday afternoon where she shared video footage of the incident and two recordings of 9-1-1 calls.
Three Austin police officers who shot and killed the suspected shooter, Ndiaga Diagne, will not be charged, Travis County District Attorney José Garza said. Davis said police shot Diagne after he opened fire on them.
Body-worn camera footage shows police running toward Diagne as he stood at the corner of West Sixth Street and West Avenue. People outside the bar pointed officers to where Diagne was as they ran and hid.
Davis said Diagne had no interaction with Austin police before this shooting, and his only engagement with law enforcement was a welfare check in New York in 2022. That same year, a state civil court judge in Bexar County, which encompasses San Antonio, said Diagne had a history of committing family violence. Diagne’s ex-wife was given full custody of the couple’s two sons.
Flowers placed outside Buford's Backyard Beer Garden. (Eva Ruth Moravec/City Cast Austin)
Updated Tuesday at 1:30 p.m.: Our episode today features an interview with City Councilmember Zohaib “Zo” Qadri with the latest on the shooting investigation, as well as a conversation about what he’s hearing from his constituents, and how Austinites citywide are coping.
The City of Austin has opened a Victim Assistance Center for anyone impacted by the shooting today and Wednesday, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., at 1520 Rutherford Lane Building 4. Lots of city services are being pooled at the center, including spiritual care, crisis counseling, and behavioral and mental health services. Therapy animals will also be present. It’s also where you can go if you’re missing any personal items from the scene. (Just so you know: Media is not allowed at the center).
“Traumatic events like the one that occurred Sunday morning have significant impacts, both seen and unseen,” said Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis in a news release. “A Victim Assistance Center can provide support to victims, as well as their families and friends, in both the short and long term.”
Over at The University of Texas at Austin, students are mourning the loss of a fellow Longhorn, Savitha Shan, 21. The campus chapter of Students Demand Action will hold a vigil on the South Mall Lawn at 6:30 p.m. tonight, and UT Student Government will host a vigil tomorrow (Wednesday) at 7 p.m.
Updated Monday at 8:45 p.m.: Austin police confirmed 30-year-old Jorge Pederson died on Monday.
Updated Monday at 2 p.m.: Austin police identified the two people killed in Sunday’s shooting as Ryder Harrington, 19, and Savitha Shan, 21. Chief Lisa Davis said a third person who has been on life support since the shooting was not expected to survive.
Police and officials with the FBI say they are still investigating a motive for the shooting. Davis confirmed that Diagne acquired the guns he used in the shooting legally.
Buford’s remained closed on Monday while officials continue to investigate the scene, combing the sidewalks for evidence. A memorial of flowers, notes, and other items were left outside of the bar.
The bar posted a statement on social media saying, in part, that the victims were “young people with their whole lives ahead of them,” and that the FBI has offered Buford’s staff grief counseling services.
From Sunday: The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Joint Terrorism Task Force is working with the Austin Police Department to investigate a potential act of terrorism after a shooting early Sunday left three people, including the gunman, dead, and 14 hospitalized.
“There were indicators, on the subject and in his vehicle, that indicate potential nexus to terrorism,” said Alex Doran, an FBI acting special agent in charge for the San Antonio field office.
Austin police identified the suspected shooter as Ndiaga Diagne. The Associated Press reported that Diagne was wearing a sweatshirt that said “Property of Allah,” and had on a shirt with an Iranian flag design. A motive has not yet been determined.
Officials have not released the names of people who were shot.
Ryder Harrington, 19, died in the shooting, his friend confirmed to City Cast Austin. A GoFundMe for Harrington’s family has raised more than $56,000 so far.
Asher Chang said Harrington was from Round Rock and attended Westwood High School before going to Texas Tech University in Lubbock. There, he joined the Beta Theta Pi fraternity, and though Harrington returned to Central Texas in recent months, he was extremely close to his fraternity brothers.
“He was a really funny guy — super energetic, loud, he had a lot of friends,” Chang said. A vigil is set for Monday night in Lubbock.
Police outside Buford’s Sunday morning. (Eva Ruth Moravec/City Cast Austin)
Gov. Greg Abbott directed the Texas Department of Public Safety to increase weekend patrols in Austin’s Sixth Street District, and also increased security, patrols, and surveillance at energy facilities, ports, along the border, and elsewhere throughout the state.
“We must ensure enough boots on the ground to discourage criminal activity,” Abbott said in a statement, adding, “To anyone who thinks about using the current conflict in the Middle East to threaten Texans or our critical infrastructure, understand this clearly: Texas will respond with decisive and overwhelming force to protect our state.”
Austin police responded to Buford's Backyard Beer Hall, at West Sixth and Rio Grande streets, around 2 a.m. Sunday as bars were closing. APD Chief Lisa Davis said Diagne opened fire at people on the Buford’s patio and outside the bar from a large SUV.
Diagne then parked the SUV and began shooting at people with a rifle. Three police officers fatally shot Diagne as he walked east on West Sixth Street, Davis said.
Mayor Kirk Watson praised first responders on Sunday saying they were on-site and treating patients within 57 seconds of the call coming in. Police officers also made it to the scene very quickly, he said.
“There is no question in my mind that the quick response of the police officers and of our EMS personnel and those professionals made a difference and saved lives,” Watson said.
Police are now asking people to submit any videos or photos they may have online. We Are Blood is asking for O positive and O negative blood donations after the shooting. You can book a blood donation appointment online.
