Austin Mass Shooting Leaves Two People Dead: ‘Potential Nexus to Terrorism’

Two people were killed and 14 more injured in a mass shooting early Sunday at a bar in Austin, Texas, an attack the FBI labeled a “potential nexus to terrorism.”

Law enforcement officials identified the shooter as 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne, a Senegalese man who came to the U.S. in 2006 and became a naturalized citizen, the Associated Press reports. Diagne was shot and killed by police officers soon after the attack.

According to reports, Diagne was armed with a rifle and pistol when he opened fire at a bar on Austin’s Sixth Street from his SUV. The suspect then parked his car, exited the vehicle and continued shooting when he was rushed by police.

“At one point, he put his flashers on, pulled down his window and began using a pistol, shooting out of his car windows, striking patrons of the bar that were on the patio, and out in front of the bar,” Austin police chief Lisa Davis said.

FBI agent Alex Doran said in a Sunday press conference that while it was “way too early to determine motivation,” evidence found on the shooter and in his vehicle indicate a “potential nexus to terrorism.” (Diagne reportedly wore a shirt that read “Property of Allah” with the design of the Iranian flag on it.) However, authorities did not rule out mental illness.

The mass shooting occurred just hours after the U.S. launched Operation Epic Fury against Iran, a joint military campaign with Israel that so far resulted in the deaths of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other high-ranking Iranian officials.
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Austin-Travis County EMS Chief Rob Luckritz said three of the 14 people injured in the attack were taken to hospitals in critical condition, the Austin American-Stateman reported; emergency services reportedly arrived on the scene within a minute of the shooting.

“I’m very thankful for the speed with which our officials responded to this,” Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said at a press conference. “I don’t think there’s any question: It saved lives.”