A shooting that killed two people and injured at least 14 others at a downtown Austin bar popular with University of Texas students rocked the Texas capital early Sunday morning and is being investigated by the F.B.I. as a potential act of terrorism.
Gunfire broke out shortly before 2 a.m. on Sunday after a gunman who was driving a large S.U.V. passed in front of the bar, Buford’s, and opened fire from his vehicle. The bullets struck patrons outside of the bar and on its patio, local officials said at a Sunday news conference.
The shooter then drove to a nearby street, parked and left his car, and began shooting at passers-by with a rifle, the authorities said. He walked toward an intersection, where he was shot and killed by the police.
The authorities have not released the name of the gunman, but a law enforcement official with knowledge of the investigation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly, identified the shooter as Ndiaga Diagne, a 53-year-old man who was a naturalized American citizen from Senegal.
Public records indicate that Mr. Diagne previously resided in New York City. He lived about 30 miles north of Austin at the time of the shooting, records show. When he carried out his attack, Mr. Diagne wore a sweatshirt emblazoned with the words “Property of Allah,” and a Quran was recovered from his vehicle, the official said.
Alex Doran, acting special agent in charge at the F.B.I.’s San Antonio field office, which is assisting with the investigation, said it was too early to determine an exact motive, but certain “indicators on the subject and in his vehicle” pointed to a “potential nexus to terrorism.” The F.B.I.’s Joint Terrorism Task Force is involved in the investigation, he said.
Heightened tensions and security concerns have emerged across the country after attacks on Iran by the United States and Israel, and subsequent retaliation by Iran, over the weekend.
Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas issued a warning in a statement on Sunday: “To anyone who thinks about using the current conflict in the Middle East to threaten Texans or our critical infrastructure, understand this clearly: Texas will respond with decisive and overwhelming force to protect our state.”
The governor also said that he had directed the Texas Military Department on Saturday to activate patrols to protect infrastructure, including energy facilities and ports. Following the shooting, he said, he directed the Department of Public Safety to increase patrols in downtown Austin. “This act of violence will not define us, nor will it shake the resolve of Texans,” he said.
Around midday Sunday, authorities descended on a suburban Travis County neighborhood outside of Pflugerville, about 30 miles north of the shooting, where the shooter had a known address.
A neighbor described a swarm of vehicles, including some from the Austin Police Department and the F.B.I., and said a SWAT team had breached Mr. Diagne’s home to execute a search warrant.
Neighbors said Mr. Diagne had kept a low profile. “They kept very much to themselves,” said Chris Finch, who resides next door to the home that was searched. “They didn’t really say hi or anything.”
Eddie Garcia, a board member of the area’s homeowners association, said he had never interacted with the person in that home, but that he had always seen multiple cars in the driveway. Mr. Finch said that he had noticed the same thing.
On Sunday, public safety officials credited their rapid response for interrupting the shooting spree before more people were killed.
Karan Bhakta, 21, a senior at the University of Texas at Austin, was enjoying a night out with his friends at Buford’s when he heard what he described as a “pop.” Several more followed, he said, so he grabbed hold of his friends and they all fell to the ground. When he stood up, he said, “it was just panic,” with patrons fleeing to find safety.
Mr. Bhakta said he felt a warm stream of blood gushing down his face and realized he had been injured. He then moved behind the bar, where a bartender handed him napkins to press onto his head wound. For several minutes, he said, “it was just napkins getting sopping wet.”
An audio recording, which was taken by a New York Times reporter who happened to be at the bar interviewing someone for an unrelated article, captured what happened.
In the recording, the rapid pop of gunfire rings out, the ambient noise stops, and a shift in the crowd, from confusion to urgency, can be heard. Friends shout out to one another, and voices ask what happened. Minutes later, there is a second volley of shots, immediately followed by running and shouting.
After the gunman was killed, EMS tended to the injured and told Mr. Bhakta that he had a bullet wound that had grazed his scalp and a cut on his forehead. Although the injuries were relatively minor, he was transported to a nearby hospital anyway, where he said he met another victim who had been shot in the arm.
Speaking by phone Sunday afternoon, Mr. Bhakta said he was still in shock. He was also angry about the easy access to guns in America, even though he said he grew up in the Texas Panhandle and was not inherently opposed to gun ownership.
“It can’t just stay like this,” he said.
Three people, including the shooter, were pronounced dead at the scene.
“This is a really tough, tough time for the city of Austin,” Lisa Davis, the city’s police chief, said at the news conference on Sunday morning.
“There are families right now that are unfortunately identifying their loved ones,” she said. “We have families that are at hospital rooms waiting for outcomes from surgery.”
Chief Davis said that the shooting had occurred in an area regularly patrolled by police and medical personnel on weekends, which had allowed them to respond quickly.
Fourteen people were taken to the hospital, three were in critical condition. Five victims were treated at St. David’s Medical Center and had been discharged by Sunday afternoon, according to a statement from St. David’s HealthCare. Two other victims were at St. David’s South Austin Medical Center and in good condition, the statement added.
The status of the other victims was not clear. Mr. Bhakta said that he and at least one other person injured in the shooting were taken to Ascension Seton Medical Center. The hospital did not return requests for comment on Sunday.
No victims had been identified by authorities on Sunday.
Buford’s is a popular nightlife destination about a mile away from the University of Texas at Austin, and it is often frequented by college-aged patrons. Jim Davis, the president of the University of Texas at Austin, sent a message to faculty on Sunday saying that people at the school were among those affected.
“My heart goes out to their families, friends, classmates, professors and loved ones,” he said, adding that counselors at the university have been communicating with families and students, and visiting those injured at hospitals.
Zohaib Qadri, an Austin council member who represents the district where the shooting happened, said the added layer of federal officials investigating it as an act of terrorism has caused further unease in the community.
“A lot of folks’ sense of safety is shaken,” he said.
Georgia Gee contributed research.
Pooja Salhotra covers breaking news across the United States.
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