Austin 6th Street shooting: Community urged to donate blood

AUSTIN, Texas - Austin's public safety agencies are urging the public to donate blood in the wake of the deadly shooting at a 6th Street bar over the weekend.

Three people, including the gunman, were killed early Sunday morning and 14 others were injured.

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What they're saying:

The Austin Fire Department put out the request on social media, saying:

In the wake of this devastating tragedy, Austin's public safety agencies are urging community members to donate blood. We are reminded every day of how fragile and precious life is. Today, we call on our community to assist if they can in replenishing this valuable resource.

"In the wake of this devastating tragedy, Austin Police, Austin Fire, and Austin-Travis County EMS  are urging our community members to donate blood," said Austin-Travis County EMS Captain Shannon Koesterer. "We are reminded every day of how fragile and precious life is. Today, we call on our community to assist if they can in replenishing this valuable resource."

We Are Blood, a nonprofit blood center serving Central Texas, is echoing that request, specifying that they are in immediate need of O-positive and O-negative blood. 

According to the American Red Cross, O-negative donors are known as "universal donors" as O-negative blood can be used in transfusions of any blood type. O-positive blood is also in high demand because it is the most frequently occurring blood type. 

Over 150 blood products have been shared with local hospitals in response to the shooting, says the nonprofit in a release.

Community blood drive set for today (March 2)

What you can do:

Austin City Council member Zo Qadri and the Austin EMS Association are hosting a community blood drive at Austin City Hall Monday afternoon.

The drive is from noon to 5 p.m. outside City Hall along Lavaca and Guadalupe streets.

Additional details about eligibility and the donation process will be available on site.

Anyone wishing to donate can also book an appointment online with We Are Blood. 

There are donation centers across Central Texas, as well as mobile drives scheduled this week.

Deadly Austin 6th Street shooting

Austin 6th Street shooting that killed 3, wounded 14 could be act of terrorism, FBI says

A shooting outside a bar in Austin's bustling Sixth Street entertainment district left three dead and 14 wounded is being investigated as a possible act of terror, according to the FBI.

What we know:

Three people, including the gunman, were killed, and 14 others were wounded in a mass shooting outside a bar in Austin's bustling Sixth Street entertainment district early Sunday morning that authorities said may have ties to terrorism.

It began with a call to police around 1:40 a.m. about a man shooting at Buford's. When police arrived at the scene, they confronted a man with a gun and "returned fire, killing the suspect," said Austin police chief Lisa Davis Sunday.

The gunman has been identified as 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne, a naturalized US citizen born in Senegal who lived in Pflugerville. He was reportedly caught in images wearing a sweatshirt that read "Property of Allah" and had been wearing a T-shirt underneath with an Iranian flag on it.

Davis said that the gunman had two weapons during the shooting, but never entered the bar; instead he drove by, fired outside the window with a pistol, then parked his vehicle nearby and got out with a rifle.

Davis said an explosives team was called in to evaluate the gunman's vehicle after investigators found concerning items inside. No bombs were found, however.