Savitha Shan (21) was just weeks away from getting a degree from the University of Texas. She was doing a double major in economics and management information systems.
But fate had other plans. She was reportedly out on Sixth Street on Sunday night. The way thousands of UT students are on any given weekend. She never came home.
The Indian-American student was one of three people killed when a gunman opened fire outside Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden. It’s a bar on Austin’s most famous nightlife strip.
The street, packed with bars and clubs and just a short distance from the UT campus, turned into a scene of chaos as students and revellers ran for their lives.
The shooter, 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne, reportedly drove past the bar before opening fire with a rifle. Police shot and killed him at the scene. He was found wearing clothing printed with an Iranian flag design and the words “Property of Allah”.
The two other victims were identified as 19-year-old Ryder Harrington and 30-year-old Jorge Pederson.
Investigators are now looking hard at what drove Diagne to open fire.
The FBI told a section of the media it was examining a possible “nexus of terrorism” and a potential connection to the broader conflict between the US and Iran, according to a news portal.
But both the FBI and Austin police stressed it was still too early to name a motive.
Diagne had no trouble getting his weapons. University President Jim Davis said the pistol and rifle used in the attack were both legally purchased by Diagne in San Antonio, several years ago.
Diagne himself had been in the US for over two decades. Originally from Senegal, he arrived in 2000 on a B-2 tourist visa. He later married an American and became a lawful permanent resident in 2006.
Back on campus, the grief was raw. Russ Finney, an assistant professor at UT’s McCombs School of Business, said Shan was one of his superstar students, someone who showed up, got involved in student organisations and lit up the classroom.
In a post on social media, he said losing her was absolutely crushing and noted she had been set to graduate in May.
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