A second-year university student was among three people killed by a pro-Iran terrorist in an attack on a bar in Austin.
Ryder Harrington was identified by his fraternity brothers at Texas Tech University on Monday after he was shot the day before.
Two people were shot dead and 14 more wounded at a packed-out bar during the early hours of Sunday, before officers killed the attacker in return fire.
Harrington was mourned as ‘a beloved son, brother, and friend’ by the Beta Theta Pi chapter at Texas Tech, where he was a member of the Fall 2024 pledge class.
‘Ryder had a rare ability to truly enjoy life to make people laugh, to make moments feel bigger, and to make ordinary days unforgettable,’ it said.
‘If anyone embodied what it meant to live fully and love deeply, it was Ryder.’
‘His character and genuine spirit made our chapter stronger and our friendships deeper. The energy he carried, the joy he spread, and the way he made everyone feel welcome are things we will never forget.
‘He made the world around him better simply by being in it.’
Ryder Harrington was identified by his fraternity brothers at Texas Tech University on Monday after he was shot the day before
Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives Dustin Burrows said Harrington was the brother-in-law of one of his staffers.
‘Ryder was exactly the kind of young man who made a difference without even trying – full of life, loyal to his friends, proud to be a Red Raider and a Texan, and someone who showed up for the people around him,’ he said.
Harrington and a dozen other revelers were gunned down at Buford’s on West Sixth Street in Austin’s Market District just before 2am on Sunday.
Witnesses said the bar was ‘full of college students, probably mostly UT kids, shoulder to shoulder, hundreds just enjoying their nights.’
Three of the wounded are in critical condition as of the last update.
Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said the gunman never entered the bar, but fired at patrons from the street with a handgun and a rifle until cops shot him dead.
The gunman, Ndiaga Diagne, 53, is believed to have been hellbent on revenge for the US attacks on Iran that began early Saturday morning.
Harrington was mourned as ‘a beloved son, brother, and friend’ by the Beta Theta Pi chapter at Texas Tech, where he was a member of the Fall 2024 pledge class
His friends said Ryder had a rare ability to truly enjoy life to make people laugh, to make moments feel bigger, and to make ordinary days unforgettable
Harrington and a dozen other revelers were gunned down at Buford’s on West Sixth Street in Austin’s Market District just before 2am on Sunday
Diagne, a former New York City resident and US citizen who immigrated from Senegal, was wearing a wearing a shirt reading ‘Property of Allah’ and an undershirt or T-shirt emblazoned with the Iranian flag.
A Quran was later found in the his car.
Davis described the shooting as a ‘tragic, tragic incident’, and praised the bravery of responding officers who were ‘faced with an individual with a gun.’
After shooting at people on the bar’s patio and in front of the building, Diagne drove about two blocks away before he got out of the car and fired at pedestrians.
When officers responded to reports of a shooting, they saw him ‘coming toward them’ and opened fire, killing him.
Footage shared to social media showed the chaotic aftermath of the shooting with Diagne lying dead in the street.
Party-goers crouched in fear inside the bar as police arrived, before several more gunshots rang out as he opened fire again until officers shot him.
The gunman, identified as Ndiaga Diagne, 53, wore a ‘Property of Allah’ hoodie as police searched his home and discovered photos of Iranian leaders and an Iranian flag
Patrons tended to the wounded along with police officers, as victims screamed in pain.
Diagne had a history of mental illness and several arrests in Texas since he arrived from NYC where he is believed to have lived from 2000 to 2008.
He was first arrested in NYC in 2001 for illegal vending. Despite his crowded rap sheet going back that far, he became a naturalized citizen in April 2013.
Officials, including the National Counterterrorism Center, are investigating if the shooting is tied to foreign terrorism.
