Who was Austin shooting suspect Ndiaga Diagne? Here's what we know
According to Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis, officers were on patrol in the buzzing bar district known as East Sixth Street when they responded to calls of an active shooter
March 02, 2026
The Austin police have disclosed the identity of the suspect involved in the shooting at West 6th Street, Austin, on Sunday morning, March 1, 2026.
The incident claimed three lives, and dozens fear being injured in a mass shooting incident that FBI described as potentially an act of terrorism.
According to the officials, the suspect was killed in a police encounter at the scene.
Who was Ndiaga Diagne?
The suspect Diagne, a 53-year-old, had been an American citizen with roots in the African nation of Senegal.
The investigators believe the gunman acted on his own, with Austin police officers saying he had a handgun and a rifle during the attack, as reported by CBS News.
Diagne is said to have arrived in the United States in 2000 on a tourist visa, obtaining a green card in 2006, and becoming a U.S. citizen in 2013. The suspect had some time spent in New York before visiting Texas.
How did the Austin shooting unfold?
According to Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis, who detailed the incident, officers were on patrol in the buzzing bar district known as East Sixth Street when they responded to calls of an active shooter just before 2 am on Sunday, March 1, 2026.
David said the shooter was driving a “large SUV” when he stopped, put his flashers on, rolled down the window, and began firing a pistol.
The shooter then headed west on 6th Street, parked on Wood Street, and began walking east on Sixth Street with an assault rifle and opened fire at bystanders.
After being confronted by the police officers at an intersection, Diagne was shot and killed.
The FBI Special Agent in Charge Alex Doran said, there were indications in the SUV and on the suspect that hinted a ‘nexus to terrorism.’
Austin-Travis County EMS head Robert Luckritz provided an update, saying, ‘fourteen people have been hospitalized and three are in critical condition.’
For the unversed, Austin is home to both the Texas capitol and one of the state’s largest public universities, the University of Texas, which is near the city’s downtown, just two miles away from Buford’s.
