AUSTIN, Texas — A third victim has died following a mass shooting on West Sixth Street early Sunday morning, bringing the total number of fatalities to four, including the shooter. The FBI is currently investigating the attack as a possible act of terrorism.
The Austin Police Department identified the third victim as 30-year-old Jorge Pederson. During a press conference on Monday afternoon, Police Chief Lisa Davis warned that one of the three victims hospitalized in critical condition was expected to be taken off life support later that day.
Pederson joins two other victims killed in the attack: 19-year-old Ryder Harrington and 21-year-old Savitha Shanmugasundaram, a University of Texas at Austin student whom police initially identified as Savitha Shan. More than a dozen other people were injured when 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne opened fire from the street into a popular bar. Diagne was also killed.
The tragedy has sent shockwaves through the Austin and university communities. UT President Jim Davis mourned the loss of Shanmugasundaram in a letter to the campus on Monday, describing her as "a child of loving parents," "a loyal friend to many," and "a Longhorn preparing to change the world."
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson urged residents to lean on one another as the city processes the tragedy. “Continue to lift them and their families up. And Austin, keep reaching out to each other. Take care of each other," Watson said. "What we do for each other matters, especially in this time of mourning and grief.”