One of the two victims of an Austin bar shooting early Sunday morning has been identified as a Texas Tech University student, according to social media posts by his siblings and a local politician.
Ryder Harrington, 19, was killed and 14 others were wounded in a shooting outside a popular beer garden in downtown Austin. The suspect who was fatally shot by officers has a history of mental illness, sources familiar with the investigation told NBC News.
“Ryder was the perfect blend of all the Harrington crew,” his brother, Reed Harrington, wrote on Facebook in a post confirming his death. He said the entire family would appreciate the condolence he received.
Authorities have not yet publicly identified the other victims and are still working to determine a motive for the shooting, including whether it was an act of terrorism. The Austin Police Department is set to hold a press conference this afternoon.
“It’s unfair that my little brother was only given 19 years on this earth,” wrote Reed Harrington. “Looking at the man he was, and all the lives he touched, leaves me convinced that this world has been robbed of a better future.”
The brother added, “I don’t think life will ever be normal again. I don’t know what to do, but I know you’ll always be there to guide me and be my guide.”
Harrington’s sister, Raegan Harrington, called him her “best friend” in a memorial Instagram post, adding, “I can’t believe you’re not here with me right now.”
“Nothing can express how special you are to me,” wrote Reagan Harrington. “I’m not sure how we’re going to work through this – all I can think about is seeing you again.”
Ryan Harrington, the fourth of the brothers, also posted on Instagram about Harrington’s death.
“I miss my brother,” wrote Ryan Harrington.
Harrington’s death was also confirmed by his fraternity, Beta Theta Pi. According to the chapter’s Instagram post, Harrington was part of the fall 2024 pledge class.
“From the moment he joined our fraternity, he brought a light that was impossible to ignore,” the Beta Theta Pi post read. “Ryder had a rare ability to truly enjoy life, making people laugh, making moments big and ordinary days unforgettable.”
Beta Theta Pi will host a candlelight vigil to honor their brother Monday at 8 p.m., the post said. The chapter also started a GoFundMe to support Harrington’s family.
Texas State House Speaker Dustin Burrows posted about Harrington X’s passing and said the teenager was the brother-in-law of one of his teammates.
“By all accounts, Ryder was a young man who made a difference without exactly trying — full of life, loyal to his friends, proud to be a Red Ryder and a Texan, and a man who showed up for the people around him,” Burroughs wrote.
He said he is praying for the Harrington family and “everyone who loved Ryder — the number seems countless.”
Two people were killed in the early morning shooting on Sunday
Harrington was one of two victims killed in a shooting early Sunday morning outside Buford’s, a popular beer garden in downtown Austin. The other victim has not yet been identified.
Three of the 14 injured were hospitalized, said Robert Luckritz, the county’s chief of emergency medical services. His terms were not immediately available as of Monday.
The shooter has been identified as 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne. Officers shot him dead after the attack, police said.
Four law enforcement officials told NBC News that Diagne is a Senegalese citizen and a naturalized U.S. citizen living in Pflugerville, Texas. During filming, he wore a sweatshirt that said “Property of Allah” and an Iran-flag-themed shirt underneath.
Diagne acted alone and had no ties to the state, according to sources who stressed that the investigation was in its preliminary stages.
Diagne first entered the US on a B-2 tourist visa on March 13, 2000, a Homeland Security official told NBC News. He became a lawful permanent resident based on marriage to a US citizen in 2006 and a naturalized citizen in 2013, the official said. He was arrested in 2022 in Texas for hit-and-run damage, the official said.
On Sunday, Special Agent in Charge Alex Doran of the San Antonio FBI Field Office said there were “indicators on the subject and in his vehicle that point to a potential link to terrorism,” but noted that it was “too early to make a determination on that.”
Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said at a news conference Sunday that Diagne may have wrapped Buford in his car before rolling down his window, pistol-whipping patrons on the bar’s front patio.
He then stopped the car, got out with a rifle and shot people walking by, Davis said. Officers encountered the man along West Sixth Street, when they shot him.
Buford is located 2 miles from the heart of the University of Texas at Austin campus and less than a mile from the Texas Capitol building.
Other Texas officials offered their prayers and condolences to the victims, including Gov. Greg Abbott, who warned anyone who would “think about using the current conflict in the Middle East to threaten Texans.”
He appeared to be talking about joint military operations by the US and Israeli governments against Iran that killed the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
