By MES Dispatch staff
The Briefing
• A gunman opened fire outside Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden in downtown Austin, Texas, killing two people and injuring 14 early Sunday morning, authorities said.
• Austin Police officers confronted and fatally shot the suspect at the scene.
• The FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force has joined the investigation amid “indicators” that suggest a possible terrorism nexus.
• Officers reported the suspect fired from both a pistol and a rifle during the attack.
• Officials said it is too early in the investigation to determine a motive.
AUSTIN, TX — Two people were killed and 14 others were wounded early Sunday in a shooting outside Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden in downtown Austin, and the FBI has joined the probe as a possible act of terrorism, authorities said.
Austin Police Department officers responding shortly before 2 a.m. confronted a suspect who had opened fire near the bar on West Sixth Street, firing from both a pistol and a rifle, Police Chief Lisa Davis said. Officers shot and killed the suspect at the scene.
The FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force was assisting Austin police based on “indicators” found on the suspect and in his vehicle that suggest a potential terrorism nexus, though officials cautioned it was too early to determine motivation.
Fourteen victims were located at the scene and transported to local hospitals, with several reported in critical condition, and the names of those killed have not been immediately released.
Investigators continued to process the scene and gather evidence as part of the ongoing multi-agency inquiry into the incident.