Austin 6th Street shooting: 3 victims identified by police

AUSTIN, Texas - The Austin Police Department gave an update Monday on the investigation into a deadly shooting at a downtown Austin bar over the weekend.

Three people, including the gunman, were killed in the early Sunday morning shooting at Buford's; 14 others were injured.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Austin 6th Street shooting: FBI probes attack as terrorism after 3 killed, 14 injured

On Monday, APD said a third victim died from their injuries.

All victims have been identified. They are 21-year-old Savitha Shan, 19-year-old Ryder Harrington, and 30-year-old Jorge Pederson.

The FBI says investigators are working around the clock to figure out the motive behind the gunfire.

Austin leaders give an update on the shooting

The Latest:

"We recognize that this is a very traumatic moment in our city," said Austin Mayor Kirk Watson.

Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis spoke from Austin Police Headquarters.

"I cannot imagine the grief, pain, and loss these families are feeling today, and my heart is with them," said Chief Lisa Davis, with the Austin Police Department.

Davis identified the two people killed by the gunman on Sunday as 21-year-old Savitha Shan and 19-year-old Ryder Harrington.

Davis said on Monday afternoon that a person who was critically injured in the shooting was expected to be taken off life support and two others are still critical. 

Kelson Li, who previously spoke with FOX 7 Austin's Meredith Aldis about the incident, identified the man on life support as his coworker Jorge Pederson.

On Monday night, APD said Pederson, 30, died from his injuries.

Davis added that the guns used in the shooting were legally purchased in 2017. The gunman was also not on APD or the FBI's radar, according to law enforcement. 

Davis and the FBI say that it is still in the early hours of the investigation and that authorities are pouring over massive amounts of physical and digital evidence.

"We are pouring through thousands of hours of video. We have massive amounts of both digital and physical evidence. And this is an around-the-clock 24-hour investigation at this point. And any declarations on what led to that motive would be premature," said Alex Doran, FBI acting special agent in charge.

Chief Davis says more information, including body camera footage and details about the suspect’s criminal history, is expected to be released Thursday.

What's next:

Davis says that this shooting is not expected to impact security plans for the upcoming SXSW festival or other spring events. 

APD will also be releasing more information in the coming days about the gunman's criminal history and the officer-involved shooting aspect of the case.

What you can do:

Anyone with video, photos or visual evidence of the shooting is asked to upload it to APD via the QR code below:

Anyone in need of help in connection with this incident can contact APD's Victim Services at 512-974-5037.

Witnesses to the shooting speak out

Local perspective:

Alex Freman was driving his pedicab right in front of Buford's as the bar was closing.

"I was stationed there. There were a couple of guys in front of me, and they decided to move out of the way about 1:50 a.m. So I moved my cab up and started waving at people as they started coming out, and then I heard shots. Shots erupted on the side," said Freman.

He says after the initial gunshots, he thought it was over and was trying to get people out of the bar, but it wasn’t over.

"I heard some more gunshots coming from down 6th Street. I felt a little pebble hit me in the head, and I was like, I thought the shots were coming from this way, so I got on the ground and I just put my head under the petty cab and just waited there until the police came," said Fredman.

Across the street, fellow pedicabbers, Silas Wildheart and Heidi Nichole, saw the panic unfold.

"We saw people jumping over the railing. People were panicking. They were trying to get out of here in any way they could. They were completely terrified. And that many people running around and just panicking, it's intense," said Wildheart.

The two helped people get out of the chaotic situation.

"I actually went back that way, and I caught some people who were running. They saw it happen and they were running that way. And they just said get us out of here, and I was like, yeah, that's what I'm here for," said Wildheart.

Freman says, despite the situation, he plans to return.

"Will I come out here again? Yeah, I mean, something like that just doesn't happen, you know, all the time. You know, I think it was just a freak accident. I just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. I really enjoy what I do, and we provide a service to this community," said Freman.

UT Austin student captures video of suspect

Dig deeper:

UT Austin Senior, Nathan Comeaux, was on West Sixth Street when the shooting happened. The Dallas native shot video of the incident and captured the moment Austin police shot and killed the gunman.

"I think there's just a shared sense of sadness today on campus," said Comeaux. "It's just so terrible that anyone could make the choice to impact, to inflict such terror on young people. I just can't imagine what was going through the shooter's head. It's just such an awful, awful thing too."

Deadly Austin 6th Street shooting

The backstory:

Three people, including the gunman, were killed, and 14 others were wounded in a mass shooting outside a bar in Austin's bustling Sixth Street entertainment district early Sunday morning that authorities said may have ties to terrorism.

It began with a call to police around 1:40 a.m. about a man shooting at Buford's. When police arrived at the scene, they confronted a man with a gun and "returned fire, killing the suspect," said Austin police chief Lisa Davis Sunday.

The gunman has been identified as 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne, a naturalized US citizen born in Senegal who lived in Pflugerville. He was reportedly caught in images wearing a sweatshirt that read "Property of Allah" and had been wearing a T-shirt underneath with an Iranian flag on it.

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Davis said that the gunman had two weapons during the shooting, but never entered the bar; instead he drove by, fired outside the window with a pistol, then parked his vehicle nearby and got out with a rifle.

Davis said an explosives team was called in to evaluate the gunman's vehicle after investigators found concerning items inside. No bombs were found, however.

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