On the night of March 1, 2026, 19-year-old Ryder Harrington was among three people killed in a mass shooting on Austin’s West Sixth Street near Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden. A former Texas Tech University student who had taken a semester off and was home in Austin working with his family, he is remembered by loved ones as joyful and kind.

Authorities say the shooter, 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne, circled the block in a vehicle, fired on the crowd with a pistol and a rifle, and then continued on foot before being fatally shot by responding Austin police officers. Two other victims named in reports were 21-year-old Savitha Shan and 30-year-old Jorge Pederson; more than a dozen people were wounded. Investigators from the Austin Police Department and the FBI have said they are examining possible ideological motives after finding social media posts, clothing with an Iranian flag design, religious symbols and other items linking the attacker to pro-Iranian views.

Ryder’s family has emphasized how they will remember his life rather than the manner of his death. If anyone was near West Sixth Street that night or has information about the shooting, please share what you know.