In the early morning hours of March 2, 2026, horror unfolded on Austin’s Sixth Street. At Buford’s bar, just before closing, 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne—a naturalized U.S. citizen from Senegal—opened fire on innocent patrons. Three people were murdered: 30-year-old amateur MMA fighter Jorge Pederson, 21-year-old University of Texas student Savitha Shan, and 19-year-old Texas Tech fraternity member Ryder Harrington. Thirteen others were wounded, several critically. Diagne, wearing a “Property of Allah” shirt with an Iranian flag underneath and carrying a Quran in his vehicle, left behind social media rants praising Iran’s destruction of Israel and a manifesto tied to revenge for recent U.S. strikes on Iran. The FBI is investigating it as a possible act of Islamist terrorism.
Within 57 seconds, three Austin Police Department officers arrived and neutralized the threat, shooting and killing Diagne. They saved countless lives. Austin’s mayor called them heroes. Governor Greg Abbott labeled them “heroes who saved lives.” The Central Texas Public Safety Commission echoed the praise. Their swift action ended a massacre in one of America’s most vibrant entertainment districts.
Yet, instead of immediate commendations, these officers—true first responders who risked everything—faced the prospect of criminal scrutiny. Travis County District Attorney José Garza, a Soros-backed progressive prosecutor, invoked a 2021 policy requiring every officer-involved shooting to be presented to a grand jury. Under this rule, crafted in partnership with the left-wing Wren Collective, Garza’s office controls the evidence presented. Texas grand juries operate in secret, with no requirement to disclose exculpatory information. The officers, represented by attorney Doug O’Connell at the request of the Austin Police Association, were set to be dragged through the process despite the attack’s clear justification.
Garza’s office initially followed through, prompting widespread outrage. Only after intense public backlash, including from Governor Abbott—who pledged to have the “final say”—did Garza issue a statement calling the officers “heroes” and claiming his office was “not seeking any charges and would not seek charges.” Even then, reports indicate the grand jury review may still loom or could be revisited later. This is not exoneration; it is damage control.
The Soros Connection Demands Scrutiny
José Garza rode into office in 2021 on a wave of more than $650,000 funneled through the Texas Justice & Public Safety PAC from George Soros’ network—part of the billionaire’s broader effort to install “progressive” prosecutors nationwide. Some estimates place total Soros-linked support near $1 million. Once elected, Garza delivered: he has indicted over 20 Austin officers for their actions during 2020 George Floyd riots, pursued soft-on-crime policies, and partnered with the Wren Collective—a group whose founder Jessica Brand denies direct Soros ties but operates under an umbrella receiving Open Society Foundations funding.
The Wren Collective openly seeks to “reimagine” the criminal legal system, prioritizing “marginalized communities” over law enforcement and public safety. Their policy forces every use-of-force incident before a grand jury, regardless of context—even when officers stop a terrorist slaughtering civilians. Garza has followed their lead, turning routine heroism into potential prosecution.
This episode exposes the deadly consequences of Soros’ prosecutorial revolution. Across America, his funded DAs have fueled crime surges by refusing to prosecute repeat offenders, slashing bail, and demonizing police. In Austin, it nearly turned heroes who prevented further bloodshed into defendants. Police morale suffers when officers know that stopping a massacre could still land them in court, bankrupted by legal fees and smeared by activists.
The National Legal and Policy Center has documented Soros’ transformation of local justice systems. We first identified the role of radical legal activist Whitney Tymas as the central figure in the distribution of tens of millions to radical DA candidates. Soros’ investments have allowed the installation of dozens of DAs who view criminals as victims and cops as the problem. The Austin terror attack should be a wake-up call: when progressive ideology collides with radical Islamist violence, the first casualties are common sense and public safety.
Governor Abbott’s intervention and public pressure forced a temporary retreat, but Garza’s underlying policy remains. Texas lawmakers must act to repeal these mandatory grand jury reviews for clearly justified shootings. Rogue prosecutors who prioritize ideology over victims must be held accountable—through recall, removal statutes, or the ballot box.
The three Austin officers deserve medals, not subpoenas. Their courage stopped a terrorist. George Soros’s money nearly turned that triumph into another chapter in the war on law enforcement. Americans deserve prosecutors who protect the public—not activists who prosecute the protectors.
