Gunman kills 2 in Austin bar attack as FBI probes possible terrorism link

Police said the shooting occurred shortly before 2 a.m. outside Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden on Sixth Street, a busy nightlife area near the University of Texas at Austin. Officers responding to emergency calls shot and killed the gunman.

The suspect was identified by the United States Department of Homeland Security as 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne. Authorities said he used both a pistol and a rifle during the attack.

According to Austin Police Department Chief Lisa Davis, the suspect drove past the bar several times before stopping and firing a pistol from the window of his SUV at people on a patio and outside the venue. He then parked the vehicle, stepped out with a rifle and opened fire on pedestrians before officers confronted and fatally shot him.

Fourteen people were injured in the attack, three of them critically, police said.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation said investigators were examining whether the shooting could be connected to terrorism. Special agent Alex Doran said authorities had found “indicators on the subject and in his vehicle that indicate a potential nexus to terrorism,” though the exact motive remains unclear.

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that four people were killed in a stabbing attack in Purdy, U.S. state of Washington.