Austin mass shooting may have been motivated by Iran strikes, officials say. Here’s what we know

By Amanda Musa, Hanna Park, CNN

(CNN) — In the early hours of Sunday morning, as a bar in a busy nightlife district of Austin, Texas, prepared to close for the night, patrons and staff were startled by the sound of gunshots.

Armed with a pistol and a rifle, a man opened fire from outside the venue on the city’s bustling Sixth Street, killing two people and wounding 14 others, according to the Austin Police Department and the FBI’s San Antonio Division. It’s among at least 56 mass shootings in the US so far this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

Investigators are now working to determine whether the suspect – who was fatally shot by police – was motivated by recent US and Israeli strikes on Iran, multiple law enforcement officials briefed on the case said, cautioning that it is too early to draw firm conclusions.

Investigators are also looking into the man’s criminal history and his mental health status, source said.

Here’s what we know:

Who is the suspected gunman?

The suspected gunman was identified as 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne, Austin Police Department said in an X post Sunday evening.

Diagne entered the United States on March 13, 2000, on a B‑2 tourist visa, a Department of Homeland Security official told CNN. In June 2006, he adjusted his status to lawful permanent resident based on marriage to a US citizen and naturalized on April 5, 2013.

Diagne was originally from Senegal, a law enforcement official familiar with the investigation told CNN.

Upon arriving in the US, Diagne initially settled in New York and eventually made his way to Texas, although it’s not clear when, the official said. He had multiple addresses in the Lone Star State, the official added.

In 2022, he was arrested in Texas on a charge of collision with vehicle damage, a misdemeanor offense, according to the DHS official.

Authorities are also reviewing past mental health encounters the suspect had while living in Texas, multiple law enforcement officials have said.

CNN has reached out to the Austin Police Department and FBI San Antonio for more details.

Was Iran a factor?

The suspect was wearing a shirt with an Iranian flag design on it underneath a hoodie printed with “Property of Allah,” a law enforcement official told CNN.

“Obviously, it’s still way too early in the process to determine an exact motivation, but there were indicators on the subject and then his vehicle that indicate a potential nexus to terrorism,” Alex Doran, acting special agent in charge of the FBI San Antonio Division, said at a news conference Sunday morning.

A large law enforcement presence was seen Sunday at a home connected to the suspect in Pflugerville, a suburb of Austin, CNN affiliate KEYE reported.

Investigators were seen taking boxes of items from the home and looking closely at a car in the driveway, KEYE said.

Authorities searching his home were likely investigating his computers and phones to determine if he was reading any propaganda or left any writings indicating what he intended to do, an official told CNN.

How did the shooting unfold?

The violence erupted along a stretch of Sixth Street, in the city’s downtown Market District, known for its dense concentration of bars and live music venues – a bustling corridor just a short drive from the University of Texas at Austin.

Authorities first received a call about a man shooting from a large SUV, outside Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden, according to Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis.

“At one point, he put his flashers on, rolled 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 that were in front of the bar,” Davis said.

The suspect then drove westbound on Sixth Street, parked his vehicle and got out on foot with a rifle, Davis said. He then began shooting at people walking by, she said.

Authorities reached the suspect in less than a minute, Davis said.

“Our suspect was coming toward East Austin or East Sixth Street, officers were coming toward him, and at the intersection, he was shot and he was killed at this time,” Davis said.

Video from the scene shows law enforcement officers running toward the scene as people duck for cover.

Nathan Comeaux, a 22-year-old University of Texas senior, told CNN he left Buford’s around 1:45 a.m. to get pizza from a food truck across the street. Just before 2 a.m., he and his friends suddenly heard gunshots.

“At first, no one was panicking,” Comeaux said. “There were probably 15 people eating pizza there, and we thought it was like fireworks or a car backfiring or something.”

Because no one initially ran, he said, they kept eating. It wasn’t until police arrived that they realized something was wrong.

“We see the lights coming up, and then everyone starts to run, like, ‘Oh, God. Like, this is real,’” Comeaux said. “So people start running, and then the cops start running.”

Who are the victims?

Officials have not released the identities or ages of the two people killed or the 14 people injured.

University of Texas at Austin President Jim Davis said in a statement Sunday some of those affected by the shooting include “members of our Longhorn family.”

“Our prayers are with the victims and all those impacted,” he said.

“Our hearts go out to the people that are victims of this. And I want to again reiterate my thanks to our public safety officers and officials that so rapidly were on the scene,” Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said at the news conference. “They definitely saved lives.”

Three of those hospitalized were in critical condition, officials have said.

Paramedics in the area responded quickly, according to Robert Luckritz, Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services chief.

“We had more than 20 EMS resources that responded to the scene. We had all critical patients off the scene within 24 minutes, and all patients off the scene within 47 minutes,” Luckritz said.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott condemned the attack and said he ordered the Texas Military Department to activate patrols to protect communities and critical infrastructure, including energy facilities and ports. He also directed the state’s Department of Public Safety to increase patrols and law enforcement personnel in the Sixth Street area on weekends.

“This act of violence will not define us, nor will it shake the resolve of Texans,” he said in a statement.

Abbott warned the state would respond aggressively to anyone “using the current conflict in the Middle East to threaten Texans.”

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CNN’s Sarah Dewberry, Chris Boyette, Holmes Lybrand, John Miller and Karina Tsui contributed to this report.