“Obviously, it’s still way too early in the process to determine an exact motivation, but there were indicators on the subject and then his vehicle that indicate a potential nexus to terrorism,” Alex Doran, acting special agent in charge of the FBI San Antonio Division, said at a news conference Sunday morning.
The suspected gunman is originally from Senegal, according to a law enforcement official familiar with the investigation. The man appears to have arrived in the United States in the early 2000’s and initially settled in New York, the official told CNN. It’s not clear when the suspect arrived Texas, but he did have multiple addresses in the state, the official added.
CNN has reached out to the Austin Police Department and FBI San Antonio for more information on the suspect.
There have been at least 56 mass shootings in the US so far this year – defined as when at least four people are shot, not including the shooter – according to the Gun Violence Archive.
Authorities received a call about a man shooting from a large SUV, outside Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden at West Sixth and Rio Grande streets, according to Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis. The SUV had been spotted circling the block before the shooting, she said.
“At one point, he put his flashers on, rolled down his window, and began using a pistol, shooting out of his car windows, striking patrons of the bar that were on the patio and that were in front of the bar,” Davis said.
The suspect then drove westbound on Sixth Street, parked his vehicle and got out on foot with a rifle, Davis said. He then began shooting at people walking by, she said.Because police and emergency medical teams are predeployed downtown on weekends, authorities reached the suspect in less than a minute, Davis said.
“Our suspect was coming toward East Austin or East Sixth Street, officers were coming toward him, and at the intersection, he was shot and he was killed at this time,” Davis said.
