Travis County ESD 12 also revealed one of its members was related to a victim who died in the shooting.
AUSTIN, Texas — As the one-week mark approaches since the deadly mass shooting on West Sixth Street, support for the victims and their families continues to grow across the Austin community.
Several online donation pages have been established to help those impacted by the tragedy. Local businesses are also stepping up to raise money and show solidarity with the victims and staff affected by the shooting.
Among them is Buford’s, the West Sixth Street bar where the shooting occurred. The bar announced it will donate 100% of its sales throughout the weekend to the victims and their families.
Another local bar chain, Victory Lap, is also contributing to the effort. The bar shared on social media that it plans to donate a portion of its sales from two of its Austin locations. The West Campus location on 24th Street pledged to donate part of its sales from Friday night, while the Rainey Street location committed a portion of its Saturday night sales to the victims and staff connected to the shooting.
One South Austin resident who visited the Rainey Street location said the fundraising effort shows how the community is rallying together.
“As someone who lived a block away from where the shooting occurred, it’s horrific and it’s sad,” Harrison Carter said. “It’s a younger bar crowd, people in their early 20s. It’s a horrifically sad thing.”
He added that supporting fundraising efforts is one way the community can help.
“If you have a heart and care about the betterment of other people, you walk in that bar, whatever establishment it is, to fundraise and make money for those affected by bad things that happened,” Carter said.
Support for the victims has also extended beyond businesses.
Fire engines with Travis County Emergency Services District 12 in Manor are now displaying red bows on the front of their units as part of a tribute called “Red Bows for Ryder.” The bows honor 19-year-old Ryder Harrington, the first victim identified in the shooting. Harrington attended Texas Tech University and was a member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity in 2024.
The department said Harrington was also a relative of one of its firefighters.
In a statement shared online, the department wrote that Harrington was “a beloved son, brother, friend, and cousin to #TCESD12 Fire Engineer Zach Hubenak.”
“We wear these bows to stand with our brother Zach to honor Ryder’s life,” the statement read. “They are a visible reminder that the fire service is family, on and off the job, and that we support our own through unimaginable loss.”
The department is encouraging community members to join the tribute by displaying red bows at their homes, businesses or other meaningful places to show support for Harrington’s family.