AUSTIN, Texas — A 53-year-old Texas man has been identified as the suspect in a mass shooting that left two people dead and 14 others injured at a popular downtown Austin bar early Sunday morning.
The Austin Police Department confirmed the suspect as Ndiaga Diagne late Sunday.
Federal officials say Diagne emigrated from Senegal to the United States in 2000 on a tourist visa. According to the Department of Homeland Security, he later became a lawful permanent resident after marrying a U.S. citizen in 2006 and was naturalized in 2013.
Authorities say Diagne previously lived in San Antonio and most recently had ties to Pflugerville. Law enforcement searched a property in The Park at Blackhawk neighborhood as part of the investigation.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is assisting Austin police. Officials say evidence recovered from the suspect and his vehicle suggests possible terroristic motives, though the investigation remains ongoing.
Sources told NBC News the suspect had a history of mental illness. Authorities say he had no known criminal record in Central Texas.
Police continue to investigate the motive behind what is one of the deadliest shootings in Austin’s recent history.
