Austin Police have released the identity of the suspect involved in the shooting on West 6th Street in Austin on Sunday morning, March 1, 2026.
The incident left three people dead and dozens feared being injured in a mass shooting that the FBI has described as potentially an act of terrorism.
According to authorities, the suspect was killed during a confrontation with police at the scene.
Who was Ndiaga Diagne?
Suspect Diagne, 53, was an American citizen with roots in the African country Senegal.
Investigators believe the shooter acted on his own, with Austin police saying he had a handgun and a rifle during the attack, as reported CBS News.
Diagne allegedly arrived in the United States in 2000 on a tourist visa, obtained a green card in 2006 and became a U.S. citizen in 2013. The suspect spent some time in New York before traveling to Texas.
How did the Austin shooting happen?
According to Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis, who detailed the incident, officers were patrolling the busy bar district known as East Sixth Street when they responded to calls of an active shooter just before 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 1, 2026.
David said the shooter was driving a “large SUV” when he stopped, turned on his flashers, rolled down the window and began shooting a gun.
The shooter then drove west on 6th Street, parked on Wood Street, and began walking east on 6th Street with an assault rifle and opened fire on bystanders.
After being confronted by police at an intersection, Diagne was shot and killed.
FBI Special Agent in Charge Alex Doran said there were indications in the SUV and on the suspect that hinted at a “terrorism connection.”
Austin-Travis County EMS Chief Robert Luckritz provided an update, saying, “Fourteen people have been hospitalized and three are in critical condition.”
For those unfamiliar, Austin is home to both the capital of Texas and one of the state’s largest public universities, the University of Texas, located near the city’s downtown, just two miles from Buford.
