Austin grapples with a tragic bar shooting that left two young lives lost and three injured.
AUSTIN, Texas — Austin police have identified the two people killed in a mass shooting early Sunday morning outside a bar on West Sixth Street. The victims were 21-year-old Savitha Shan and 19-year-old Ryder Harrington.
The shooting, which occurred just before 2 a.m., left three others critically injured. Officials say one of those victims may be taken off life support.
Authorities have not yet determined why the gunman opened fire. The FBI has called the incident a potential act of terrorism, but investigators caution it’s too early to confirm any motive or connection to recent international events in Iran.
The suspect, 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne, was reportedly wearing a shirt with the Iranian flag. Sources told CBS News that pictures of Iranian leaders were found at his home. The FBI says it is reviewing thousands of hours of video and interviewing more than 150 witnesses.
“Any declarations on what led to that motive would be premature,” said Alex Doran, acting FBI special agent in charge of the San Antonio field office. “We want to make sure that we have our facts 100% correct, or at least we’ve tracked down every possible lead that we can, because that’s what we owe to the victims.”
A memorial for Shan and Harrington has been growing outside the bar, with residents leaving flowers and paying tribute to the lives lost.
“These are young people who lost their lives, who never had the chance to have fun,” said Manuel Tavera, who works a few blocks away from the scene. “Unfortunately, someone took their lives away.”
Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis expressed condolences to the families: “I cannot imagine the grief, pain and loss these families are feeling today. This is a complicated and large crime scene. Our priority is finding answers and the motives behind this crime.”
According to CBS News, Harrington was a student at Texas Tech University and is remembered by loved ones as a “beloved son, brother and friend” who was kind and had a knack for making people laugh. A fundraising page set up by his fraternity brothers featured a photo of Harrington and shared messages of support.
Shan was a student at the University of Texas, according to a post by the university’s president. “All of us are grieved by this horrible news and we will remember her,” the post said.
Community members said the growing memorial shows the resilience of Austin residents in the wake of tragedy.
“I think it shows what this community has always been, and that’s you’re going to stick together. And you mourn for these people,” said Derek Alvarado, an Austin resident.
“It makes me very sad, like I’m sad and weepy, just that we’ve got to this point and that it happened at all,” said Lakisha Cohen, another local.
Police are also investigating the shooting death of the suspect by responding officers. Body camera footage is expected to be released later this week.
The investigation into the shooting and the suspect’s motives remains ongoing.
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