Austin 6th Street shooting: 3rd victim identified as Minnesotan MMA fighter

AUSTIN, Texas – Austin police have identified a third person dead following the mass shooting at a downtown Austin bar over the weekend.

30-year-old Jorge Pederson died Monday after he was taken off life support.

19-year-old Ryder Harrington and 21-year-old Savitha Shan were also killed in the shooting. Thirteen others were injured and two were still in critical condition as of Monday, per APD.

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Who is Jorge Pederson?

What they’re saying:

Pederson had just moved to Austin two weeks before the shooting, according to his mother Nancy.

“He was a kind, funny and caring person that many people responded to. He lived the MMA lifestyle and was going to go have his first professional fight in May,” she told FOX 7 Austin.

Pederson was “an inspiration in Mixed martial arts to many” according to a fundraiser for his funeral expenses organized for Pederson’s family by a fellow fighter.

“He reached a large audience in a short time and began a wave of cultural appreciation for mixed martial arts that will continue long into the future. His impact at the gym was that of a welcoming, warm and tough presence that changed many lives for the better. Jorge showed many new fighters that their dreams were attainable through hard work and dedication, no matter who you are,” the fundraiser reads.

The Med City Fighting Championships posted a tribute to Pederson, calling him a “fantastic fighter.”

“We have heard the terrible news of the passing of beloved Minnesotan fighter Jorge Pederson. Jorge was one of the people on our first card. Immediately after meeting him, both owners and people that work our events all immediately loved him. He was a fantastic fighter. One of our favorite people to interact with, throughout the years of our existence. Our condolences to all of his friends and family. It was an honor to have known him,” the organization shared on social media. 

Deadly Austin 6th Street shooting

Three people, including the gunman, were killed, and 14 others were wounded in a mass shooting outside a bar in Austin’s bustling Sixth Street entertainment district early Sunday morning that authorities said may have ties to terrorism.

It began with a call to police around 1:40 a.m. about a man shooting at Buford’s. When police arrived at the scene, they confronted a man with a gun and “returned fire, killing the suspect,” said Austin police chief Lisa Davis Sunday.

The gunman has been identified as 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne, a naturalized US citizen born in Senegal who lived in Pflugerville. He was reportedly caught in images wearing a sweatshirt that read “Property of Allah” and had been wearing a T-shirt underneath with an Iranian flag on it.

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Davis said that the gunman had two weapons during the shooting, but never entered the bar; instead he drove by, fired outside the window with a pistol, then parked his vehicle nearby and got out with a rifle.

Davis said an explosives team was called in to evaluate the gunman’s vehicle after investigators found concerning items inside. No bombs were found, however.

Davis added during a Monday press conference that the guns used in the shooting were legally purchased in 2017. The gunman was also not on APD or the FBI’s radar, according to law enforcement.

Davis and the FBI say that it is still in the early hours of the investigation and that authorities are pouring over massive amounts of physical and digital evidence.

“We are pouring through thousands of hours of video. We have massive amounts of both digital and physical evidence. And this is an around-the-clock 24-hour investigation at this point. And any declarations on what led to that motive would be premature,” said Alex Doran, FBI acting special agent in charge.

Chief Davis says more information, including body camera footage and details about the suspect’s criminal history, is expected to be released Thursday.