Trampled roses on West 6th Street on Monday March 2, 2026, after a mass shooting at Buford’s bar on West 6th Street.
Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman
The death toll has risen in one of Austin’s deadliest mass shootings in recent history. On Monday, Austin police announced a fourth person — 30-year-old Jorge Pederson — died from injuries sustained in the shooting.
Three other people — 21-year-old Savitha Shan, 19-year-old Ryder Harrington and the suspected gunman — were pronounced dead on the scene of the shooting. Thirteen others were injured in the early Sunday morning shooting in Austin’s popular West Sixth Street entertainment district.
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Officials have identified the suspect as Ndiaga Diagne, a Senegalese native who became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2013. The 53-year-old was shot and killed by Austin police during a rampage that is now being investigated by the FBI as a possible act of terrorism.
Law enforcement authorities have offered scant details about Diagne, who was wearing a sweatshirt at the time of the shooting that said “Property of Allah,” but a Hearst Newspapers review of public records paints a picture of a transient and elusive divorcee and estranged father of two young sons.
Live updates have ended Tuesday. See more shooting coverage at statesman.com.
Travis County District Attorney José Garza issued a statement Tuesday responding to rumors circulating online that he would seek criminal charges against the three Austin Police officers who fatally shot Diagne following Sunday’s mass shooting.
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“These officers are heroes, and it should go without saying that my office is not seeking any charges and would not seek charges,” Garza said in the release. “The accounts to the contrary are false, intentionally false, and are being peddled for obvious political purposes.”
The statement was prompted by an X post, shared Tuesday morning, that claimed Garza would bring criminal charges against the officers following an Austin Police Department investigation into the officer’s actions.
The post gained attention from top Texas Republicans, including Speaker of the House Dustin Burrows and Gov. Greg Abbott.
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It is standard procedure for the Austin Police Department to investigate officers for potential criminal conduct after all shooting incidents and it is Garza’s current policy to present all of those findings before a grand jury for potential prosecution.
While it is Garza’s decision to present officer shooting cases to a grand jury, it is up to the grand jury to decide if the officers possibly committed criminal conduct and should be indicted. Garza’s statement does not make clear if his office would still present the case to a grand jury, which has been the DA’s policy since he took office in 2021, even though it will not pursue charges.
MORE: Travis County DA José Garza rejects rumors of charges against Austin officers
—Austin Sanders, Public Safety Reporter
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Jorge Munoz-Pederson, had only lived in Austin for about two weeks when he was shot on Sunday morning at Buford’s bar. The only child of a single mother, Munoz-Pederson, 30, had grown up in a small western Minnesota town. For the past six, he had immersed himself in the Minneapolis area mixed martial arts scene, where he had stood out as a disciplined fighter and humorous gym mate, his friends told the Statesman. He planned to fight his first professional fight in May.
Munoz-Pederson died Monday afternoon after his family took him off life support.
His mother, Nancy Pederson, described him as a motivated and loyal son.
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“He was so original and he lived his life following his dreams,” Pederson said, between tears. “He was a good kid.”
Former coach Rashel Malik remembered Munoz-Pederson as one of his best fighters, a young man who continuously changed and treated his teammates with respect.
“We lost a really good soul, who was just a really good person,” his coach Rashel Malik said. “With all the nonsense going on, you need good people in your life. And he was one of the best persons that we could possibly have.”
MORE: Third person killed in Austin mass shooting was beloved amateur MMA fighter, son
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—Emiliano Tahui Gómez, Latino Communities Reporter and Lily Kepner, Higher Education Reporter
The parents of 21-year-old Savitha Shan, one of the three victims in Sunday’s mass shooting, released a statement Tuesday mourning their daughter.
“Savitha was a bright, compassionate, and deeply caring young woman whose presence brought warmth, comfort and joy to everyone who knew her,” her parents wrote, noting Shan was their only child.
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Shan was a dual-degree senior at the University of Texas majoring in management information systems and economics, according to her LinkedIn. She was set to graduate in May, according to one of her professors in the McCombs School of Business. Her parents said in the statement she had already accepted a job to work at a “major consulting firm” after graduation.
“Her sudden and heartbreaking passing has left an irreplaceable void in our lives and in the lives of all who loved her,” the statement said. “The loss feels unreal and profoundly unfair, and the space she once brightened now echoes with sorrow.”
Shan’s parents thanked first responders, community leaders and members of the UT community who “have surrounded us with compassion and support during this devastating time.” They also expressed their grief for the other shooting victims and requested privacy as they mourn.
Funeral services “will be held privately for close family and friends,” the statement said.
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A vigil is planned on UT campus Wednesday to honor Shan’s life.
—Katey Psencik, Breaking and Trending Editor
We Are Blood, Central Texas’ blood bank, has seen an outpouring of people wanting to help after Sunday’s shooting. The bank sent more than 150 blood products to Austin hospitals and Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services’ ambulances during the trauma event.
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We Are Blood set up a mobile blood drive on Monday at Austin City Hall and had to turn people away because there were more donors than the mobile drive could handle.
Today, We Are Blood’s four main donation centers are filled with blood donors. The North Lamar Boulevard and Slaughter Lane locations don’t have appointments until next week; the Round Rock location had one appointment for Tuesday and one for Friday; and the Cedar Park location had appointments starting Saturday. Those wishing to donate can find a mobile blood drive that does have appointments or make an appointment at the main donation centers at weareblood.org.
Type O donors are the most needed, as well as people who are willing to donate platelets. A platelet donation involves a three-hour collection process.
—Nicole Villalpando, Health Reporter and Alex Driggars, Transportation Reporter
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Dozens of Republican members of the Texas House of Representatives on Monday signed a letter urging congressional leadership to make sweeping changes in the aftermath of Sunday’s mass shooting on West Sixth Street in Austin.
Most notably, the letter asks Congress to “pause all immigration until proper vetting protocols are established,” calling the pause “pro-American” rather than “anti-immigrant.”
The letter also asks Congress to “pass full, unencumbered funding” for the Department of Homeland Security, which the letter calls “the frontline defense of this nation” — a sentiment echoed by Texas Lt. Gov Dan Patrick, who wrote on X Monday that “Democrats must vote to fund DHS right away to help clean up the problems their policies created.”
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It also asks Congress to freeze issuances of H-1B visas until an audit is completed of existing visa holders. “We must known who is in this country, why they are here, and whether they pose any risk to national security,” the letter reads.
The visas — which are used to hire foreign workers especially skilled in a specific field — have been a major target of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who in January ordered state agencies and universities to stop petitioning for new H-1B visas until next year. Abbott said the visa program has “too often been used to fill jobs that otherwise could — and should — have been filled by Texans.”
Abbott’s order called for state agencies and universities to report how many petitions they submitted last year and how many existing visa holders they sponsor, as well as where those workers are from, what they’re doing and how the agency or university made efforts to provide Texas candidates with a “reasonable opportunity” to apply for those positions. The reports were due to Abbott by March.
The letter also asks for a “concerted, well-funded effort” to identify current threats by examining immigration records, law enforcement databases and intelligence reports to “identify individuals who pose a credible threat to American citizens.”
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The representatives wrote that Texans were “tired of watching Washington offer rhetoric in place of regrets,” saying “if Congress refuses to act, then Congress must empower the states to act.”
Rep. Cole Hefner, Chair of Homeland Security, Public Safety & Veterans’ Affairs, was the lead signatory on the letter, which also featured signatures from more than 70 other Republican members of the Texas House of Representatives.
—Katey Psencik, Breaking and Trending Editor
“To our neighboring bars and local businesses: please take care of one another,” The Betty, a cocktail lounge adjacent to Buford’s at 510 Rio Grande St., wrote on Instagram on Monday.
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“Stay alert, look out for your staff and guests, communicate with nearby venues and don’t hesitate to pause operations if something feels off. Your safety — and the safety of our community — comes first.”
The post said that The Betty stands with their community “in grief, love and solidarity” and that the bar will remain closed until this Friday.
Marfa Lights Bar, located at 718 W. Sixth St., will be donating 100% of their total sales to the victims’ families this Friday from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m.
“The recent events have left us devastated. We mourn alongside the victims’ families and everyone touched by this tragedy,” a Monday post on the bar’s Instagram account said. “Texas strong. Texas forever.”
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The Rustic Tap, located at 613 W. Sixth St., will also be closed through Tuesday, March 3.
“We are devastated by this senseless act of violence. Our hearts are with our neighbors and all who were affected by this tragedy. Thank you to everyone who reached out to check on our team. We are safe and grateful for the Austin Police Department’s swift response,” a Sunday post on the Rustic Tap’s Instagram said.
A post on Parlor & Yard’s Instagram feed shared thoughts and prayers with those affected by the shooting and Austin’s “incredible service industry.”
“As a community we’re especially grateful to the first responders with fantastic response times, which undoubtedly saved many lives last night,” the bar’s Sunday post said.
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Star Bar, located at 600 W. Sixth St., also shared condolences on Instagram on Sunday: “We love our neighbors and are grateful to be part of such a caring community.”
—Mars Salazar, Music Reporter
City officials announced Tuesday that emergency management officials, in partnership with Austin Police Victim Services and FBI Victim Services, would open a Victim Assistance Center to serve those impacted by the mass shooting.
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The center will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday at 1520 Rutherford Lane, Building 4.
Services offered include spiritual care, crisis counseling, behavioral and mental health services and therapy animals. Those who were at the scene of the shooting and are still missing any personal items will be able to reclaim those items at the center.
Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said in a statement that the center could offer “financial assistance for expenses resulting from the crime.”
City officials are asking the public not to bring food donations or personal animals to serve as therapy animals.
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Those unable to attend in person are encouraged to contact Victim Services at 512-974-5037. Calls will be answered 24 hours a day for a limited period, the city said.
—Katey Psencik, Breaking and Trending Editor
An Austin resident that asked not to be named places flowers at a small memorial outside Buford’s on west 6th street in Downtown Austin, Texas on Monday, March 2, 2026. Thie resident said he lives nearby and has been to Buford’s, a popular bar on west 6th. Three people are dead including a shooter and 14 others were injured in a mass shooting at Buford’s on Sunday, March 1, 2026.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
In the wake of Sunday’s shooting, Waterloo Greenway, the nonprofit organization that operates the outdoor amphitheater venue in Waterloo Park, said safety measures are in place for next week’s South by Southwest shows presented by Billboard magazine. The venue will host chart-topping stars Don Toliver, Junior H and Mau P on March 13-15. The amphitheater has a capacity of 5,000, and the shows will be open to some SXSW badgeholders as well as patrons who bought individual tickets.
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“We were deeply saddened to hear about this weekend’s tragic incident and extend our condolences to everyone affected,” Jon Windham, Waterloo Greenway’s director of creative and communications, told the Statesman. “The safety of our guests, staff, artists and neighbors is our top priority.”
Windham said the venue’s comprehensive security plan, which was developed in coordination with Austin police and public safety partners, includes magnetometer screenings, bag checks, trained security personnel and on-site officers. Entry to the amphitheater is typically along a cordoned-off side street between Trinity Street and Red River Street.
“Security presence at the venue begins well before gates open and includes active management of entry points and queue areas,” Windham said
Waterloo Park will also be the location of Austin Blues Fest in late April, Sting and Yungbud in May and more big-name acts in the coming months.
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For their own part, SXSW said that they will continue to coordinate closely with law enforcement on safety planning for the festival.
—Mars Salazar, Music Reporter
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is testifying Tuesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee, her first appearance before lawmakers since federal immigration officers fatally shot two protesters in Minneapolis.
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During the hearing, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., displayed a photograph of Ndiaga Diagne, the man authorities say opened fire early Sunday on West Sixth Street in Austin.
Diagne was born in Senegal and came into the U.S. on a tourist visa in March 2000. He became a lawful permanent resident in June 2006, when he was married to a U.S. citizen, and he was naturalized to become a U.S. citizen in April 2013, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Graham questioned Noem about Diagne, referencing his clothing and an Iranian flag investigators later reported finding at his residence.
“Wonder how many people are like that here, waiting to pounce, and DHS doesn’t have appropriated funds,” Graham said. “There are more people like this. We’ve obliterated our borders.”
—Julianna Russ, Breaking and Trending Reporter
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Savitha Shan, one of the victims in Sunday’s mass shooting, was “one of our superstar students” at at the University of Texas McCombs School of Business, said Russ Finney, an associate professor, in a social media post Monday night. He said there are “really no words to express the wave of sadness rolling over” the campus community.
Sarah Graves, a women’s basketball player at UT, said Savitha was a positive light on campus.
“She impacted so many through her time at McCombs, including me,” Graves said in her post.
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Other UT students were injured in the shooting, President Jim Davis confirmed in a statement Monday. He said the campus will make mental health services available to all and that the university will increase police patrols around campus.
UT’s student government is hosting a vigil for the campus community at the main mall in front of the UT Tower Wednesday from 7 to 8 p.m.
“All are welcome,” the post said.
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—Lily Kepner, Higher Education Reporter