The March 1st Tragedy: What Went Wrong at UT Austin?
At 2 am on the morning of March 1st, a shooting took place at Buford's Backyard Beer Garden on West Sixth Street in downtown Austin, Texas. This tragedy resulted in the death of four individuals, 3 victims, and the suspected shooter, killed by police who arrived on the scene, with 14 others injured. The Austin Police Department has later identified the shooter as 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne(Bassett).
Victim: Savitha Shanmugasundaram
“A child of loving parents. A loyal friend to many. A Longhorn preparing to change the world” ~ University of Texas Austin Senior Vice President Jim Davis
At 21, Savitha Shanmugasundaram became a victim of gun violence. She was a management information systems and economics senior at UT Austin (Bassett).
Victim: Ryder Harrington
“It is unfair to say the least, that my brother was only given 19 years on this Earth. I don’t think life will ever feel normal again.” ~ Reed Harrington, Harrington’s brother
At 19, Ryder Harrington was killed at the bar, ending his life immediately. Ryder Harrington was a former student at Texas Tech University, the school said. He was a member of the Beta Theta Pi at Texas Tech.
Victim: Jorge Pederson
“Jorge brought the comedy and the fun to the hard training, and the guys loved that. They really miss him.” ~ Andy Grahn, one of Pederson’s former MMA coaches in Minnesota
Pederson was an up-and-coming MMA star. At 30-years-old, he was taken off of life support, according to the APD, dying at the local hospital.
About the Shooting Itself
Diagne, the shooter, opened fire in a crowded bar named ‘Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden’ located in downtown Austin, Texas. This shooting took place a day after the US-Israel military campaign that took out Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, supreme leader of the Iranian Republic. As of currently, officials are investigating this attack as a potential terrorist attack(Montoya-Galvez). Diagne drove a black Cadillac SUV southbound on Rio Grande Street, past the bar. While in his vehicle, Diagne opened fire on the bar into its windows. The Austin Police Department and Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services personnel arrived within 57 seconds of the first 911 call(“Newly”). Diagne then walked back to the bar with his rifle, firing at people around the intersection of West Avenue and West Sixth Street. APD, along with members of the Counter Attack Strike Teams, shot back with the shooter at around 2:03 am(Reader). Police shot Diagne from two different angles as he approached the bar. Diagne fell to the ground on the sidewalk at the intersection and was pronounced dead at the scene(Austin).
Works Cited
- Austin American-Statesman staff. "Terror on West Sixth Street: Timeline breaks down every moment of the Austin mass shooting." Austin-American Statsman, 8 Mar. 2026, www.statesman.com/news/article/austin-6th-street-shooting-timeline-reconstruction-21950935.php. Accessed 23 Mar. 2026.
- Bassett, Lizzie. "UT student killed, multiple injured in Sixth Street shooting." The Daily Texan, 3 Mar. 2026, thedailytexan.com/2026/03/02/ut-student-killed-multiple-injured-in-sixth-street-shooting/. Accessed 23 Mar. 2026.
- Montoya-Galvez, Camilo. "Photo shows slain Texas gunman with Iranian symbol on his T-shirt." CBS, 2 Mar. 2026, www.cbsnews.com/news/mass-shooting-at-austin-texas-bar-leaves-at-least-3-dead-multiple-people-wounded/. Accessed 23 Mar. 2026.
- "Newly Released Video Reveals Panic and Chaos during Austin Mass Shooting as Investigation into Terror Link Continues | CNN." CNN, www.cnn.com/2026/03/05/us/austin-shooting-police-investigation-update.
- Park, Hanna, et al. "A beloved brother, a 'superstar student' and a 'fantastic fighter': What we know about the Austin mass shooting victims." Local 3 News, 3 Mar. 2026, www.local3news.com/regional-national/a-beloved-brother-a-superstar-student-and-a-fantastic-fighter-what-we-know-about-the/article_8eaa5473-c087-50b7-ba8e-2aa4389f5b0f.html. Accessed 23 Mar. 2026.
- Picture of Jorge Pederson. CBS, 3 Mar. 2026, www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/jorge-pederson-texas-bar-mass-shooting-mma-fighter/. Accessed 23 Mar. 2026.
- Picture of Ryder Harrington located in his obiturry. Dignity Memorial, www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/austin-tx/ryder-harrington-12768431. Accessed 23 Mar. 2026.
- Reader, Grace. "Budget exercise flagged downtown EMS staffing for possible cuts before Sixth Street shooting." KXAN, 9 Mar. 2026, www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/budget-exercise-flagged-downtown-ems-staffing-for-possible-cuts-before-sixth-street-shooting/. Accessed 23 Mar. 2026.
- Shanmugasundaram, Savitha. A picture of Savitha Shanmugasundaram. National Gun Violence Memorial, gunmemorial.org/2026/03/01/savitha-shanmugasundaram. Accessed 23 Mar. 2026.