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Austin Gunman Killed After Shooting Leaves 3 Dead, 14 Injured at Beer Garden

Austin Gunman Killed After Shooting Leaves 3 Dead, 14 Injured at Beer Garden
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Three people, including the gunman, were killed and 14 others were wounded early Sunday when a man opened fire at Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden on West Sixth Street in downtown Austin, before being fatally shot by police, authorities said nytimes +1. The shooting, which erupted just before 2 a.m. as bars were closing, left three victims in critical condition and prompted a multi-agency investigation that now includes the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force nypost +1.

Officials said the first 911 call came in at 1:59 a.m., and embedded officers and paramedics reached the scene in under a minute, moving among crowds of patrons to treat the injured as gunfire still echoed through the entertainment district texastribune +1. The suspect’s identity and motive had not been released as of Sunday afternoon, and police were still notifying families of the dead and injured nytimes +1.

How the Attack Unfolded and the Police Response

Austin police said the attacker arrived in an SUV and circled the block several times before turning on his hazard lights and firing a handgun from the vehicle at people on Buford’s patio and along West Sixth Street nbcnews. He then parked, stepped out with a long rifle and continued shooting into the street, striking bystanders in front of the bar and further down the block as crowds spilled out of neighboring venues nypost +1.

Three Austin officers confronted the gunman within moments and “returned fire, killing the suspect,” Police Chief Lisa Davis said, adding that their actions, combined with the rapid work of paramedics stationed in the district on weekend nights, likely prevented a higher death toll nypost +1. Austin-Travis County EMS chief Robert Luckritz said the first responders were on scene “within 57 seconds” of the initial call and transported 14 victims to area hospitals nbcnews.

Terrorism Questions and a City Already on Edge

The FBI’s San Antonio field office confirmed its Joint Terrorism Task Force joined the probe after investigators found “indicators on the subject and in his vehicle that indicate potential nexus to terrorism,” while stressing it was too early to determine motive or classify the attack nypost +1. Agents were examining the gunman’s background, digital footprint, and any writings or symbols recovered at the scene, officials said.

The shooting struck a nightlife corridor already wary after a series of high‑profile attacks in Austin, including a 2025 Target parking-lot shooting that killed three people, among them a 4‑year‑old girl fox7austin. Local and federal lawmakers quickly issued statements of grief and anger; Rep. Greg Casar, whose district includes parts of Austin, called the latest shooting “horrific and heartbreaking” and renewed calls to address what he described as a national gun-violence epidemic texastribune.

The Bigger Picture

As investigators work to piece together the shooter’s identity and intent, Austin faces familiar questions about how to protect crowded, open-air entertainment districts that are designed to be accessible and inviting. The city had already increased weekend patrols and embedded EMS units after previous shootings, a strategy leaders said saved lives on Sunday but did not prevent the attack itself texastribune +1. Whether this latest mass shooting is ultimately labeled terrorism or not, it has reinforced the sense of vulnerability in a booming capital city where everyday public spaces—from bars to big-box parking lots—have repeatedly become scenes of sudden, deadly violence.