AUSTIN, Texas — A promising amateur athlete in Minnesota mixed martial arts circles died after taking a bullet in a mass shooting at the crowded Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden in the Austin entertainment district. Jorge Pederson, age 30, was among three persons killed and 13 injured before police killed the shooter. This was about 2 a.m. Pederson had moved to Austin from Minnesota two weeks ago. In Minnesota he was active in Rochester’s Med City Fighting Champions program. He was a native of Glenwood in western Minnesota and a graduate of North Dakota State University. Authorities in Texas have yet to identify the shooter’s motivation. There was no evidence the attack was targeted. About the shooter, this much is known:
> The gunman drove a Cadillac Escalade past Buford’s several times before stopping, turning on the hazard lights on, and opening fire out the window on a patio.
> He then parked on a side street, got out of his vehicle, and began shooting at people with a pistol and a rifle.
> A police tactical team, coincidentally nearby, arrived a minute later and fatally shot the man outside the bar. He never made it inside.
Police identified the shooter as 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne, age 53. He was a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Senegal. His history included mental health issues, a police records check found. Diagne was wearing a sweatshirt reading “Property of Allah.” An undershirt had an Islamic Republic Iranian flag. He had an Ilam holy book in his vehicle.
Pederson. Known as Jorge “Trap” Pederson among Minnesta martial arts fans. At his Rochester gym he exuded a welcoming, warm and tough presence, friends sad.