First victim identified in deadly Austin mass shooting

A Red Raider was remembered for his kindness and energy as the first life lost in the attack is identified.

The Austin Police Department and the FBI investigate a shooting at Buford’s on 6th Street on Sunday, March 1, 2026, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Jack Myer)

Jack Myer/Associated Press

The first victim of the deadly mass shooting that rocked downtown Austin early Sunday morning has been publicly identified, as friends, family and community leaders mourn a promising young life cut tragically short.

Ryder Harrington, a Texas Tech Red Raider and member of his Fall 2024 Beta Theta Pi pledge class, was identified by loved ones in a GoFundMe created to support his family. “It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our brother, Ryder Harrington,” the fundraiser reads. Organizers described him as “a beloved son, brother, and friend” who “brought a light that was impossible to ignore.” They wrote that “if anyone embodied what it meant to live fully and love deeply, it was Ryder.”

Harrington’s older brother, Reed Harrington, said on social media that his younger brother was “the best mix” of their family. He wrote that it was “unfair, to say the least,” that his brother was given only 19 years of life. “Watching the man he had become and seeing all the lives he touched leaves me certain that this world was robbed of a great future,” he said.

In a statement, Speaker Dustin Burrows said Harrington’s death has hit especially close to home. Ryder was the brother-in-law of a member of his team, he said.

“From all accounts, Ryder was exactly the kind of young man who made a difference without even trying—full of life, loyal to his friends, proud to be a Red Raider and a Texan, and someone who showed up for the people around him,” Burrows said. He added that he and his wife are praying for Ryder’s family and asked others across Texas to lift them up.

Social media tributes from Barstool Longhorn echoed the heartbreak, calling Harrington “a light” whose “energy, kindness, and joy” left a clear impact on the Texas Tech and Austin communities. The account shared a link to the GoFundMe, urging supporters to come together for the Harrington family.

Kent Hance, Chancellor Emeritus of the Texas Tech University System, spoke out on Monday morning in a fiery post on X.

“Ryder Harrington was murdered in Austin by a terrorist,” he said.  “Ryder was an outstanding young man. I’ve talked to several people who knew him and everyone had nothing but praise for him and his character. May he rest in peace! Pray for his family.”

In the very early hours of Sunday morning, a lone gunman opened fire outside Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden along the busy West Sixth Street strip, killing two people and injuring at least 14 others. Authorities say the suspect drove an SUV repeatedly around the block before switching on his hazard lights, rolling down his window and using a pistol to shoot patrons seated on the patio and standing outside the bar. Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said the gunman then parked, exited the vehicle and continued firing at people walking nearby.The suspect was shot and killed in an exchange of gunfire with responding officers.s