A deadly early-morning shooting in Austin’s Sixth Street entertainment district has left the community reeling after multiple people were killed, including 19-year-old Ryder Harrington.
Authorities 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. The attack left three people dead, including the shooter, and injured at least 14 others.
Officials identified the gunman as Ndiaga Diagne, a 53-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen from Senegal. Police confronted him at the scene and fatally shot him after he opened fire outside the bar. Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said the suspect fired from outside the bar, first from a vehicle and then on foot with a rifle. Officers later searched his vehicle with an explosives team but found no bombs. Investigators, including the FBI, began examining whether the attack had potential ties to terrorism.
Among the dead was Ryder Harrington, who grew up in Austin and was a student at Texas Tech University in Lubbock. He had joined the Fall 2024 pledge class of the university’s Beta Theta Pi chapter. In a social media tribute, the fraternity described him as a beloved son, brother, and friend whose kindness and humor touched many. The chapter scheduled a candlelight vigil on March 2, 2026, to honor his memory.
Ryder’s older brother, Reed Harrington, posted an emotional statement online, calling Ryder “the best mix” of their family and lamenting that his brother’s life ended at just 19. Dustin Burrows, Speaker of the Texas House, also offered condolences, noting that Ryder was the brother-in-law of a staff member and that the loss hit his team especially hard.
Friends, classmates, and community members have rallied around the Harrington family. A GoFundMe launched to support them had raised more than $49,000 by mid-morning on March 2.
Fourteen people were injured in the shooting. St. David’s HealthCare officials said several victims were treated and released while others remained hospitalized in varying conditions. One injured student, 21-year-old UT Austin senior Karan Bhakta, said a bullet grazed his scalp; doctors treated his minor injuries at Ascension Seton Medical Center.
Authorities continue to investigate the circumstances, including the suspect’s background and motives, and have urged anyone with additional information to come forward as they work to piece together a full timeline of events.