AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- A mass shooting in Austin’s Sixth Street entertainment district early Sunday left two people dead and 14 others wounded before police fatally shot the gunman. The FBI is currently investigating the attack as a potential act of terrorism.
The suspect has been identified as 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne, a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Senegal who immigrated in 2006, according to anonymous law enforcement sources who spoke to The Associated Press.
The terrorism probe stems from "indicators" found in Diagne's vehicle and on his person. According to an AP source, Diagne was wearing a sweatshirt reading “Property of Allah” over a shirt featuring an Iranian flag design. Notably, the shooting occurred just one day after a joint U.S.-Israeli strike killed Iranian Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
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Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis outlined the timeline of the attack, noting that Diagne drove past the bar several times in an SUV before initiating the assault. He first fired a pistol out of his vehicle's window at people on a patio and in front of the bar. He then parked, exited the SUV with a rifle, and began shooting at pedestrians before responding officers rushed to the intersection and killed him.
Alex Doran, the acting agent in charge of the FBI's San Antonio office, confirmed the terrorism angle is being actively explored due to the evidence recovered, but cautioned, “It’s still too early to make a determination on that.”
Sunday's tragedy marks the latest violence in the Sixth Street district, which has seen at least two other high-profile shootings in the past five years, including a summer 2021 incident that also left 14 people wounded. While this weekend’s event does not strictly meet the federal definition of a mass killing, there have been five such killings nationwide so far this year.