Authorities confirmed that savitha shan was one of the people killed when a gunman opened fire outside Buford's Backyard Beer Garden, a bar popular with college-age patrons near the University of Texas at Austin campus.
Chief Lisa Davis of the Austin police named two victims who died at the scene as Ryder Harrington, 19, and Savitha Shan, 21, and officials later said a third victim, Jorge Pederson, 30, had died, bringing the total dead to four when including the gunman.
Police said the gunman, identified as 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne, a naturalized American citizen from Senegal, was killed by officers at the scene after firing from a vehicle and then exiting with a rifle, according to witness accounts and police statements.
Investigators reported that fourteen people were injured, several of them students, and that officers moved quickly to neutralize the shooter roughly within a minute of the first emergency call, as reported by local officials.
Investigation And Community Response
Federal authorities, led by the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, are investigating possible international or ideological links after materials recovered from the scene and the suspect's residence suggested a potential nexus to terrorism.
Officials said agents found objects that included a sweatshirt bearing the phrase Property of Allah and a Quran in the suspect's car, and reports said an Iranian flag and extremist writings were also recovered from the scene or residence.
The University of Texas at Austin confirmed Ms. Shan was a dual-degree senior studying management information systems and economics, and university president Jim Davis described her in a campus letter as a child of loving parents, a loyal friend, and a Longhorn preparing to change the world.
Students and community leaders said the shooting has shaken the campus and the local Indian-American community, which plans to coordinate with authorities to support the Shan family and other affected residents and to hold a community memorial service.
Witnesses described the attack as beginning with shots from an SUV before the shooter exited and continued firing, and at least one injured student, Karan Bhakta, recounted being grazed by a bullet, as reported in accounts of the incident.
Officials and news reports noted heightened security concerns after recent attacks on Iran by the United States and Israel, and retaliatory actions by Iran, and said those developments have influenced the scope of the federal investigation.
