A week after the deadly shooting that left three people and the suspected gunman dead, a district known for its vibrant nightlife and rowdy crowds was subdued.
Just before 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 1, authorities say Ndiaga Diagne, 53, opened fire in and around Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden. The popular West Sixth Street bar reopened Friday, only five days after the shooting, with owners pledging to donate 100% of the weekend’s sales to the victims and families most affected by the violence. In a statement posted on social media, the bar’s owners said 40 of its 41 employees felt “ready to return.” But empty barstools and somber expressions Sunday night — a day that typically draws moderate crowds — suggested recovery may still be a ways off.
“I didn’t want to be afraid,” Juan Llano said in response to being asked why he stopped by Buford’s on Sunday night. He was the lone customer inside one of the bar’s spacious rooms, watching an NBA game projected onto one of the walls.
This quiet scene came just ahead of some of the busiest days of the year in Austin’s downtown. South by Southwest begins Thursday, and, like Llano, festival organizers, law enforcement and downtown business owners have given no indication that fear will stop activities from moving forward. Still, some downtown businesses are on high alert, requiring extra security measures to feel safe going into the busy Spring Festival Season.
The Austin Police Department said it understands the elevated anxiety and has promised a larger presence downtown, while other businesses are taking on additional security measures of their own. Though added protections may be necessary to help quell lingering concerns over the aberrant act of violence, officials familiar with downtown say the rapid response to Sunday’s shooting likely minimized the number of lives lost.
Business owners are significantly increasing the requests for security, said Jonah Nathan, vice president of Ranger Guard, a private security contracting company. Nathan said companies hire his security guards for a more proactive safety approach rather than relying on law enforcement alone.
Nathan said ahead of SXSW, his team typically receives about 10 requests. In the week after the shooting, Nathan said that number had quadrupled.
“Some venues that weren’t getting security are now asking for security,” he said. “It’s terrifying, because this was just a random person who just decided today’s the day they’re gonna hurt a lot of people. Venue operators are saying we want to be able to do at least something.”
The Downtown Austin Alliance, a non-profit dedicated to improving the downtown corridor and representing those businesses, has observed a similar trend. Senior Vice President Bill Brice said several downtown businesses have inquired with DAA about contracting with APD to provide additional on-site security.
“There’s a lot of angst among many businesses and property owners,” Brice said. “People are definitely interested in understanding ways they can potentially have better security.”
In a statement to Austin Current, APD acknowledged that some business owners in the entertainment districts are feeling more concerned about security since the shooting.
“APD will have an increased patrol presence in the area and will be partnering with other agencies to support safety efforts,” the statement read. “Our goal is to ensure that everyone can continue to safely enjoy the vibrant nightlife that makes Austin such a special place.”
A rapid response
The FBI reports the average law enforcement response time to active shooter events is three minutes. On Sunday morning, first responders arrived on scene within 57 seconds of receiving the first 911 call.
Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis asserted that “multiple lives were saved” due to the quick response and pointed to several programs that made it possible. One of them is the Downtown Area Command, DTAC, which the Austin City Council expanded in 2024 by adding additional public safety units to the downtown area.
Davis also pointed to Austin police officers having Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training, or ALERRT, a research-based active shooter response program out of Texas State University that has become a national standard.
“There is no doubt that the training and the coordinated response with EMS saved lives,” Davis said.
Another task force often deployed in downtown Austin is the Counter-Assault Strike Team Paramedics, or CASTMED. ATCEMS Special Operations Division Chief Paul Mallon identified the program as instrumental in the rapid response to the shooting. CASTMED teams are deployed during special events or when an Austin neighborhood is expected to see large crowds.
It launched in 2018 and consists of small teams made up of two Austin police officers, an Austin and Travis County Emergency Medical Services medic and, when staffing allows, an Austin firefighter. Mallon said other cities across the country have similar programs, but Austin’s is unique in that it tends to be more proactive, while others are largely reactive.
“They don’t have it pre-set up as we do. We have rescue task forces that are already together, and they’re already ready pre-incident,” Mallon said.
Mallon said in an active attack situation, first responders seek first to “stop the killing, and then stop the dying.” He said members of the CASTMED team were applying aid before the shooter was shot and killed.
“They are a special breed of paramedics. They love helping their community and putting others before themselves,” he said. “We’re very proud of them.”
While the response was successful, DAA’s Brice said his organization is consistently advocating for increased public safety resources in the downtown district. Brice said the Downtown Area Command was fully staffed before the pandemic, but now sits at 63% of its staffing level.
Still, Brice hopes the shooting does not deter people from spending time downtown, saying Austin tends to rank among the safest large U.S. cities.
“I think certainly when incidents like this occur, there’s concern about loss of business, loss of visitors or loss of tenants,” he said. “I really do think it’s important to note that, particularly in the nature of this incident, as tragic as it was, this is not anything that’s an ongoing problem in downtown.”
