Victims identified in Austin mass shooting
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Austin police at the scene of Sunday's shooting. Photo: Jay Janner/The Austin American-Statesman via Getty Images
Authorities on Monday identified the deceased victims in the early Sunday morning Austin mass shooting.
Why it matters: The city is still reeling from the West Sixth Street shooting that left two victims dead and sent 14 people to the hospital. Police shot and killed the gunman.
The latest: Savitha Shan, 24, and Ryder Harrington, 22, were killed in the incident, Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said.
- Harrington was a Texas Tech student. "The energy he carried, the joy he spread, and the way he made everyone feel welcome are things we will never forget," his fraternity posted on Instagram.
- University of Texas officials identified Shan as Savitha Shanmugasundaram. She was a graduate of LASA High School, KUT reported.
- Three victims remain in critical condition and one patient is likely to be "taken off life support today," Davis said at a news conference Monday.
What they're saying: "It was confirmed that among those who lost their lives is one UT student," University of Texas president Jim Davis said in a letter to the university community. "A child of loving parents. A loyal friend to many. A Longhorn preparing to change the world. It is devastating, and I know all of us are grieved by this horrible news and we will remember her."
- "A number of our students sustained injuries during the attack," he continued. "Some of these are very serious and we are hoping for the best outcomes, while others are on the path to recovery."
Between the lines: "We're still in the early hours of this investigation," police Chief Davis said. "It's a complicated and large crime scene."
- The shooter's guns were acquired legally in San Antonio in 2017, police Chief Davis said.
- She said that on Thursday the police would release body-camera footage of the incident. The shooter, identified by police Sunday as 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne, was wearing a sweatshirt that said "Property of Allah" and another shirt with an Iranian flag design, according to law enforcement.
- Alex Doran, acting special agent in charge of the FBI's San Antonio field office, said Monday that law enforcement was trying to determine the motive. "We don't want to speculate or make any guesses at this point," he said.
The intrigue: Doran declined to answer a question Monday on what he meant a day earlier when he said the FBI had found "indicators" on the suspect and in his vehicle pointing to a "potential nexus to terrorism."
Zoom in: Diagne was "not previously on our radar," Doran said.
- Davis said Diagne was "not identified as a threat" previously.
The bottom line: Davis said of police in major cities: "Everybody better be on heightened alert."