A former
student-athlete, who died Monday, March 2, as a result of a mass shooting Sunday at a Austin, Texas, bar, has been identified as 30-year-old Jorge Munoz-Pederson.
A native of
Munoz-Pederson was a member of the
wrestling team and graduated in 2013. He also wrestled at Minnesota State University Moorhead during the 2013-14 season.
Jorge Munoz-Pederson was a mixed martial arts fighter and was called “Trap Jorge.” He was a former Kerhoven-Murdock-Sunburg wrestler, who graduated in 2013.
Contributed / Tapology.com
Munoz-Pederson died Monday afternoon at an Austin hospital after he was removed from life support, according to the Austin American-Statesman. He was one of 14 people taken to hospitals after the shooting. Two people died at the scene, and police fatally shot the gunman, according to authorities.
“It’s definitely devastating,” KMS head wrestling coach Trevor Mahlum told the West Central Tribune in an email. A 2011 KMS grad himself, Mahlum returned to KMS in 2013 to coach, which was Munoz-Pederson’s senior year.
“Jorge had a bright future. He always had a passion for doing (mixed martial arts) and (Ultimate Fighting Championship) kind of stuff once he finished up college. Even after wrestling practice (in high school), he’d be working on that stuff,” Mahlum said.
“We followed some of his fights leading up to where he was at,” Mahlum said. “He’d always make an appearance at the state tournaments. Living in the Cities, he’d try to get out here (in Kerkhoven) once in a while.”
On a Spotfund website, Brody Oothoudt of Minneapolis wrote “Jorge ‘Trap’ Pederson was an inspiration in mixed martial arts to many. … His impact at the gym was that of a welcoming, warm and tough presence that changed many lives for the better.”
The Spotfund page has been sent up to help Munoz-Pederson’s family pay for his funeral expenses:
His mother, Nancy Pederson, of Glenwood, told the Austin American-Statesman that Munoz-Pederson “was so original and he lived his life following his dreams. He was a good kid.”
He was about to make his professional debut in mixed martial arts. He fought as “Trap Jorge,” according to his
MSUM head wrestling coach Kris Nelson said in a statement to WDAY News that Munoz-Pederson was a valued member of the Dragon Wrestling family.
A high school friend who also attended college with Munoz-Pederson says he’ll never forget the positive energy his friend brought to every room he entered.
“Just a very genuine guy. He was extremely happy-go-lucky, very nice guy, quick-witted, extremely humorous, one of the most humorous guys I’ve ever met,” said Tyler Jensen, a high school and college friend.
Munoz-Pederson later attended and graduated from North Dakota State University in 2018, according to his Facebook page. He majored in business administration and management, according to his LinkedIn page.
After college, he started a moving company with a friend. He recently sold his share in the business and moved to Austin, Texas, in February for a new job and to continue his mixed martial arts career, according to the Austin American-Statesman.
Nancy Pederson, left, and her son Jorge Munoz-Pederson at his graduation from North Dakota State University in 2018.
Jorge Munoz-Pederson / Facebook page
The alleged shooter was identified as Ndiaga Diagne, 53, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Senegal, according to an internal update from the National Counterterrorism Center reviewed by Reuters.
The shooting happened outside Buford’s, a popular bar in the West 6th Street stretch of Austin — known as the heart of the city’s music and nightlife area, according to a Reuters report.
Prior to the attack, the shooter drove an SUV multiple times around the block where the bar is located, police said. He then turned on his hazard lights, rolled down the window and opened fire with a pistol on bar patrons, police added.
The shooter then drove west, parked the vehicle and got out, and started firing at pedestrians before police officers shot and killed him at a nearby intersection.
West Central Tribune sports reporter Joe Brown and Reuters contributed to this article.
Heidi Case, with her dog, Sophia, lays a decorative heart outside of Buford’s, a popular roadhouse-style bar which was the scene of a deadly mass shooting in Austin, Texas, on March 2, 2026.
Nuri Vallbona / Reuters
Kjersti Maday joined WDAY as a reporter in May of 2024. She is a native of Granada, Minnesota and graduated from Minnesota State University Moorhead in 2015.