A pre-dawn shooting on Austin’s Sixth Street entertainment corridor left three people dead and at least 14 injured, authorities said, including 19-year-old Ryder Harrington.
Police responded to reports of gunfire around 1:40 a.m. Sunday near Buford’s, a bar popular with college students and a short distance from the University of Texas at Austin campus. Officers found multiple victims at the scene; investigators said the attacker was also killed. Officials say the shooter fired from outside the bar, initially from a vehicle, then exited with a rifle before officers confronted and fatally shot him.
Austin police identified the suspect as 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne, a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Senegal. Law enforcement, including the FBI, is investigating the motive and whether the incident had any ties to terrorism. An explosives team later searched the suspect’s vehicle and reported finding no bombs.
Ryder Harrington, confirmed dead by his father Michael Harrington, grew up in Austin and was enrolled at Texas Tech University in Lubbock. He had joined the fall 2024 pledge class of the Beta Theta Pi chapter there. The fraternity posted a tribute calling him a beloved son, brother and friend and scheduled a candlelight vigil for March 2, 2026.
Ryder’s older brother, Reed Harrington, wrote on social media that Ryder was “the best mix” of their family and expressed sorrow that his life ended at 19. Texas political leaders also offered condolences; Dustin Burrows, Speaker of the Texas House, noted Ryder was the brother-in-law of a member of his staff.
A GoFundMe to support the Harrington family had raised more than $49,000 by mid-morning March 2. St. David’s HealthCare said several wounded people were treated and released, while others remained hospitalized in varying conditions. Among the injured was 21-year-old UT senior Karan Bhakta, who reported a grazing wound to his scalp and received treatment for minor injuries.
Authorities continue to investigate the circumstances, the suspect’s background and motive, and have asked anyone with information to contact investigators.