Authorities have identified the two people fatally shot outside a bar in Austin, Texas when a gunman opened fire in the early hours of Sunday.
Ryder Harrington, 19, and Savitha Shan, 21, died in the shooting outside a beer garden popular with University of Texas students, police said. Of the more than a dozen others injured in the shooting, two were still in critical condition.
Officials said the two victims were students but could not yet confirm which university they attended.
The alleged gunman, Ndiaga Diagne, was shot and killed by police. The FBI said it was looking into a potential “nexus of terrorism” link to the war in Iran, among other possibilities.
After responding to calls of an active shooter at around 02:00 local time (08:00 GMT) on Sunday near Buford’s bar in Austin, police said they shot and killed the suspect.
Diagne was a naturalised American citizen born in Senegal, according to the BBC’s US partner CBS News.
“We recognise that this is a very traumatic moment in our city,” Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said in briefing on Monday, adding: “I cannot imagine the grief, pain and loss these families are feeling today, and my heart is with them.”
Two sources familiar with the investigation told CBS News that the gunman was wearing a sweatshirt with the words “Property of Allah”.
CBS was also told by an official with knowledge of the investigation that officers who searched the gunman’s home found an Iranian flag and pictures of Iranian leaders.
The attack came on the weekend that the US and its ally Israel launched multiple strikes on Iran, killing its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott said federal and state officials would investigate whether the violence had any connections to terrorism.
“We will not rest until every last trail or piece of information is pursued to determine if there’s anybody else involved in this whatsoever,” the governor said in a news briefing on Monday.
“And if so, obviously, we will track them down, find them, and bring them to justice.”
In an earlier briefing, Police Chief Davis said officers who were on patrol in the more popular, crowded bar district known as East Sixth Street quickly responded to reports of a man with a gun at Buford’s, located farther down on West Sixth Street.
She said a man in a large SUV driving by Buford’s put on the vehicle’s hazard lights, rolled down his window and fired a pistol, striking people on the patio and pavement outside the bar.
He parked the vehicle nearby, got out with a rifle and started walking back towards the bar, according to Davis. Three police officers confronted the suspect at an intersection, and shot and killed him.
The SUV was searched and was not carrying explosives, officials said.
However, Acting Special Agent in Charge Alex Doran, from the FBI’s San Antonio office, said there were indications in the SUV and on the suspect that suggested a “nexus to terrorism”.
But Doran said the investigation was in its early stages and he was “not prepared to release those details”.
“We are committed to seeing this process through to the very end,” he said.
Kelson Lee, 25, was within earshot when gunfire erupted at Buford’s. He walked inside to look for a friend, according to the Austin Current.
“I see about seven to eight bodies on the floor,” Lee told the local news outlet. “No-one should ever have to see that.
“I kind of blacked out, froze up. I felt kind of helpless because I wanted to help people.”
Republican Senator Ted Cruz, who represents Texas, condemned the deadly attack in a post on social media on Sunday.
“What happened early this morning in Austin was a senseless act of violence. My team and I are co-ordinating with local, state, and federal authorities,” he wrote.
“I’m grateful for the heroic and quick response from law enforcement.”
Davis said that because of increased police and emergency resources in the entertainment area over the weekend, they were able to “rapidly” respond to the scene.
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson also praised the response by police and rescuers, which officials said took 57 seconds. “I’m very thankful for the speed,” he said. “They definitely saved lives.”
The shooting took place in the days ahead of the international SXSW festival, and authorities plan to provide updates at another briefing on Thursday.
Austin is home to both the Texas capitol and one of the state’s largest public universities, the University of Texas, which is less than two miles (3.2km) from Buford’s.
East Sixth Street and West Sixth Street are popular destinations for the roughly 55,000 students, who frequent the area most weekends.
Jim Davis, president of the University of Texas, said in a statement: “Our prayers are with the victims and all those impacted, including members of our Longhorn family, and my heart goes out to their families, friends, classmates, professors, and loved ones.”
