By MES Dispatch staff
The Briefing
• A gunman opened fire outside a bar in downtown Austin early Sunday, killing two people and wounding 14 others, authorities said.
• Austin Police officers shot and killed the suspect at the scene.
• The FBI and its Joint Terrorism Task Force have joined an investigation as a possible act of terrorism.
• Police say the incident occurred around 2 a.m. near Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden on Sixth Street.
• Officials cautioned that motive remains under investigation and no confirmed link to a broader plot has been released.
AUSTIN, TX — Two people were killed and 14 others were wounded early Sunday in a shooting outside a bar in downtown Austin that authorities said is being investigated by the FBI as a possible act of terrorism.
Austin Police Department officers responding to reports of gunfire near Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden on Sixth Street encountered a suspect firing from a vehicle and later on foot, police said. Officers shot and killed the suspect at the scene.
The FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force has joined the investigation, and officials said preliminary evidence at the scene and in the suspect’s vehicle led them to explore whether the attack may be linked to terrorism, though no definitive motive has been determined.
The shooting occurred in a popular entertainment district around 2 a.m., and emergency responders transported injured victims to area hospitals for treatment.
Officials said the investigation remains ongoing, and additional details about victims and potential motives will be released as they become available.