AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A gunman opened fire outside a bar in a popular entertainment district in the Texas capital of Austin, killing two people early Sunday in a shooting that the FBI said is being investigated as a potential act of terrorism.
The shooting left 14 others wounded, including three who were critically injured, before officers killed the shooter, police said.
The suspect, whose name was not immediately released, drove past the bar several
times before stopping and shooting a pistol out the window of his SUV at people on a patio and in front of the bar, said Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis.
The gunman then parked the vehicle, got out with a rifle, and began shooting at people walking in the area before officers who rushed to the intersection shot him, Davis said.
There have been at least two other high-profile shootings in Austin’s Sixth Street entertainment district within the past five years, including one in the summer of 2021 that left 14 people wounded. Although this weekend’s shooting doesn’t meet the definition of a mass killing, there have been five of those so far this year.
The FBI is investigating whether the shooting early Sunday was act of terrorism because of “indicators” found on the gunman and in his vehicle, said Alex Doran, the acting agent in charge of the FBI's San Antonio office.
“It’s still too early to make a determination on that,” Doran said.
The shooting happened outside Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden just before 2 a.m. along Sixth Street, a nightlife destination filled with bars and music clubs and only a few miles from the University of Texas.
The school's president said on social media that some of those impacted included “members of our Longhorn family.”
“Our prayers are with the victims and all those impacted,” said university President Jim Davis.
The entertainment district has a heavy police presence on weekends, and officers were able to confront the gunman within a minute of the first call for help, Davis said.
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson praised the fast response by police and rescuers.
“They definitely saved lives,” he said.
One of the victims was found in the street between two parked cars. Inside the multi-story bar, there were overturned tables and drinks left behind by fleeing customers.
Another shooting early Sunday at a Cincinnati nightclub and concert venue wounded nine people, police in Ohio said.
All nine had gunshot wounds, but none were non-life threatening, said Adam Hennie, the city’s interim police chief.
___
Diaz reported from Richmond, Virginia; and Seewer from Toledo, Ohio. ___ Diaz is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
