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Ryder Harrington, 19, was killed in the shooting that unfolded just outside of a popular beer garden in downtown Austin that also left 14 others injured. The suspect, who was fatally shot by officers, had a history of mental illness, sources familiar with the investigation told NBC News.

"Ryder was the best mix of all the Harrington crew," his brother,Reed Harrington, wrote on Facebook in a post confirming his death.He said the entire family appreciates the condolences they have received.

Authorities have not yet publicly identified the other victims and are still working to determine a motive in the shooting, including whether it was an act of terrorism. The Austin Police Department is set to have a press conference this afternoon.

"It is unfair, to say the least, that my little brother was only given 19 years on this earth," Reed Harrington wrote. "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."

The brother added, "I don't think life will ever feel normal again. I have no idea what I'm supposed to do, but I know you will always be there to guide me and be my mentor."

Harrington's sister,Reagan Harrington, called him her "best friend" in an Instagram postmemorializing him, adding, "I can't believe you aren't with me right now."

"Nothing would be enough to express how special you are to me," Reagan Harrington wrote. "I'm not sure how we're meant to work through this — all I can think about is seeing you again."

Ryan Harrington, the fourth of the siblings, alsoposted about Harrington's death on Instagram.

"I'm gonna miss my brother," Ryan Harrington wrote.

Harrington's death was also confirmed by his fraternity, Beta Theta Pi.According to the chapter's Instagram post, Harrington was a part of the Fall 2024 pledge class.

"From the moment he joined our brotherhood, he brought a light that was impossible to ignore," the Beta Theta Pi post read. "Ryder had a rare ability to truly enjoy life to make people laugh, to make moments feel bigger, and to make ordinary days unforgettable."

Beta Theta Pi will be hosting a candlelight vigil to honor their brother on Monday at 8 p.m., the post said. The chapter also started aGoFundMeto support Harrington's family.

Speaker of the Texas state HouseDustin Burrows posted about Harrington's passing on Xand said that the teen is the brother-in-law of one of his team members.

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"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 wrote.

He added that he is praying for the Harrington family and "everyone who loved Ryder — the number appears to be countless."

Two killed in early Sunday shooting

Harrington was one of two victims killed in the shooting that broke out early Sunday morning outside of Buford's, a popular beer garden in downtown Austin. The other victim has not yet been identified.

Of the 14 injured, three were taken to the hospital in critical condition, said Robert Luckritz, chief of the county's emergency medical services. Their conditions were not immediately available as of Monday.

The shooter has been identified as 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne. Officers shot and killed him shortly after the attack, police said.

Diagne was a Senegalese national and a naturalized U.S. citizen living in Pflugerville, Texas, four law enforcement officials told NBC News. At the time of the shooting, he wore a sweatshirt that said "Property of Allah," and a shirt underneath bearing an Iranian-flag theme.

Diagne appeared to have acted alone and had no ties to the state, according to sources who emphasized that the investigation is in its preliminary stages.

A Homeland Security official told NBC News that Diagne first entered the U.S. on March 13, 2000, on a B-2 tourist visa. He became a lawful permanent resident in 2006 based on marriage to a U.S. citizen and a naturalized citizen in 2013, the official said. He was arrested in 2022 in Texas for a collision with vehicle damage, the official said.

On Sunday, Alex Doran, a special agent with the San Antonio FBI field office, said, "There were indicators that on the subject and in his vehicle that indicate potential nexus to terrorism," but noted that it is "still too early to make a determination on that."

Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said at a news conference Sunday that Diagne may have circled Buford's in his car before rolling his window down, striking patrons on the bar's front patio using a pistol.

He then parked the car, got out holding a rifle, and shot people who were walking by, Davis said. Officers encountered the man along West Sixth Street, which is when they shot him.

Buford's is 2 miles from the heart of the University of Texas at Austin campus and less than a mile from the Texas Capitol Building.

Other Texas officials offered their prayers and condolences for the victims, including Gov. Greg Abbott, who warned anyone who "thinks about using the current conflict in the Middle East to threaten Texans."

He appeared to be talking about the joint military operationsof the U.S. and Israeli governments against Iran, which killed the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The largest settlements last year, totaling $24.1 million, went to two men who spent more than 20 years in prison after they were wrongly arrested and convicted for a fatal 1986 robbery in midtown Manhattan robbery. Another settlement, for $5.75 million, went to a man who said policeblinded him in his left eyewith a stun gun.

The analysis, released Monday by the nonprofit public defender organization The Legal Aid Society, comes as the nation's largest city faces a $5.4 billion budget shortfall. Along with broader cuts, Mayor Zohran Mamdani has proposed trimming $22 million from the NYPD's $6.4 billion budget as itcontinues to tout lower crime numbers. Settlements are paid out of a separate part of the city's budget. Elsewhere, they're paid directly from a police department's operating budget.

"This analysis is really about transparency around what the NYPD is costing us," said Jennvine Wong, the supervising attorney with the organization's Cop Accountability Project. "And from what we can tell here, I think it means that meaningful accountability has been lacking in the police department. It's a chronic problem that needs to be addressed."

NYPD says it's increasing accountability, helping right wrongs

In all, the city settled 1,044 police misconduct lawsuits in 2025, the most since 2019, when 1,276 were resolved. It was the fourth straight year with settlements exceeding $100 million. Last year's total was nearly double the $62.1 million the city paid in 2020 to settle 929 lawsuits. In 2024, the city paid $206.4 million in 980 lawsuits.

Those amounts are just a part of the city's overall police misconduct toll. The Legal Aid Society's analysis only includes lawsuit settlements, not claims that the city comptroller, the official in charge of financial matters, resolved prior to formal litigation.

Of last year's settlements, about $42 million were for wrongful convictions and $28 million — nearly a quarter of the payout total — involved incidents that occurred more than two decades ago. Such cases have also accounted for a substantial portion of the $796 million the city has paid to resolve police misconduct lawsuits since 2019, the NYPD said.

"While these cases are very important to address, they tell you nothing about the state of policing today," the department said in a statement.

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Under Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, the NYPD "has taken significant steps to increase accountability, compliance, and change outdated policies that might create greater risk," the statement said. The department said it also works closely with the city's district attorneys' offices, providing material to facilitate their review of cases involving wrongful arrest and conviction claims.

Multimillion-dollar payouts for wrongful convictions and brutality

The men wrongly convicted in the fatal 1986 robbery, Eric Smokes and David Warren, received $13 million and $11.1 million, respectively. In a lawsuit filed in 2024 in federal court, they alleged that a corrupt detective relied on the word of an emotionally handicapped and drug-addled 17-year-old who was seeking a way out of his own separate robbery rap. Three of the four witnesses who identified Smokes and Warren as the killers only did so after being threatened with criminal charges, the lawsuits said.

Another settlement, for $3.9 million, went to Steven Lopez,a sixth man arrested with the so-called Central Park Five, now known as the Exonerated Five, after their convictions in the 1989 rape of a female jogger were overturned. The Five went to trial but Lopez, under intense police and public pressure, pleaded guilty to a lesser charge that he mugged a male jogger the same night.

Other settlements included $1.7 million for four protesters who said officers beat them with batons or threw them to the ground during a June 2020 demonstration in Brooklyn over the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police.

The city paid $5.2 million to nine people who said they were framed in cases from 2014 to 2016 by two officers who were later convicted of falsifying testimony or paperwork.

Stop-and-frisk continues to be a concern, police monitor says

Last week, a court-appointed monitor criticized the NYPD for poorly supervising and underreporting officers' use of the tactic known as stop-and-frisk. In 2013, a federal judge ruled that the NYPD's frequent use of the tactic to search for guns and drugs violated the civil rights of Black and Hispanic New Yorkers.

Since then, the department has sharply cut down on stop-and-frisks, but continues to have "unacceptably low compliance rates" with constitutional protections, said the monitor, Mylan L. Denerstein.

The NYPD's staggering settlement costs suggest more needs to be done to drive down misconduct, and a "lack of accountability has continued to contribute to a culture of impunity," Wong said.

"These judgments and settlement costs are costing the city so much money and are costing the victims of police misconduct not just monetary losses and financial losses, but also causing real human trauma that they carry with them," she added.

But bad actors tried to throw cold water on Concepcion's combine performance after clips of his media interviews drew attention.Concepcion addressed those clipsSunday night with a heartfelt post about going through life with a speech impediment.

In the post, Concepcion explained that he wants to be "a role model for those who may be scared to speak." He offered thanks to those who supported him and encouraged others to not be affected by the negative thoughts of others. He ended the post with the hashtag #stopthenegativity.

Throughout his draft journey, Concepcion hastalked openlyabout his speech impediment. Concepcion said it used to be worse earlier in his life, but that taking speech classes helped.

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In September, he told the Associated Press he's learned toembrace the impediment as something that makes him unique.

"Everybody has their own flaws, and it's just about how you embrace those flaws and that makes you you," he said.

Concepcion also appeared on Shannon Sharpe's podcast in November totalk about his speech impediment.

The 21-year-old Concepcion finds himself high up on NFL Draft boards after turning in a strong junior season at Texas A&M. After transferring from North Carolina State, Concepcion gained 919 receiving yards and scored nine touchdowns in his first season with the Aggies.

That performance was good enough to make Concepcion a possible first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. That's exactly where he sits in Yahoo Sports' latest mock draft, which was released post-combine. Inthat mock draft, Concepcion is going just inside the first round, with the New England Patriots taking the wideout at pick No. 31.

In an appealbackedby 19 Republican attorneys general from other states, Alabama hadasked the court to decidewhether the Constitution allows criminalizing panhandling.

A homeless man from Montgomery, Jonathan Singleton, successfully challenged the state's panhandling bans as a violation of his free speech rights.

'Today it is me. Tomorrow it could be you'

Singleton was cited six times for violating a state law against soliciting contributions, including for holding a sign that read "HOMELESS. Today it is me, tomorrow it could be you" while standing in the grass near a highway exit.

Violators could be punished with fines up to $500 or three months in jail under one anti-begging law.Another measure sets fines up to $100 or as many as 10 days in jail for soliciting contributions from people in cars.

After Singleton filed a class-action lawsuit in 2020, lower courts blocked enforcement of the laws.

A federal appeals court based in Atlanta cited its previous decision in a different case from Florida that begging is speech protected by the First Amendment.

A three-judge panel of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals said Alabama's laws are different from a ban on panhandling on Fort Lauderdale's beaches upheld in 1999,since those restrictions weren't citywide.

Alabama told theSupreme Courtthat officials need more leeway to address panhandling amid the homelessness crisis and a "dramatic growth" in policies aimed at dealing with the problem.

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'Be practical.'Obama says Democrats need to change approach on homelessness

At the birth of the nation, states banned 'idleness' and 'wandering'

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall argued that begging was a crime at the start of the nation. So it should not be protected speech under the First Amendment.

"At the founding, States commonly prohibited idleness, wandering about with no course of business or fixed residence, begging in the streets, and the like," Marshall wrote in his appeal. "The basic theory, inherited from the English, was to distinguish those who could work [but refused] from those who could not."

More:20 US states sue to block Trump from restricting homelessness funding

Is begging communication? Courts have said it is protected by First Amendment

Lawyers for Singleton, some of whom work for the Southern Poverty Law Center and the National Homelessness Law Center, countered that the historic laws Alabama cites "criminalized the conduct of voluntary idleness, not the communicative aspect of begging."

And even if they did cover begging, Singleton's lawyers said, First Amendment protections aren't determined by what laws were on the books at a single moment in time.

That's why Alabama's argument cuts against the position taken by courts across the country and against the Supreme Court's "long and unbroken line of precedent recognizing that speech seeking charitable relief is protected by the First Amendment," his lawyers wrote.

When initiating the lawsuit in 2020, theSouthern Poverty Law Center saidAlabama "should dedicate more resources to housing, shelter and health care that would meet those needs rather than jailing or ticketing people that ask for help."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Supreme Court won't hear Alabama's bid to end protections for begging

Demonstrators gathered in U.S. cities, big and small, fromNew York City,Washington, DC, andLos AngelestoWaynesboro, Virginia, andWorcester, Massachusetts. In Detroit, student groups from various universities were already set for a Feb. 28 meeting centered on U.S. immigration policy, but added a protest to their plans upon learning of the Iran strikes.

More than 70 people showed up to Wayne State University's campus for the student-led demonstration that afternoon,The Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported. Kathy Anderson, of Plymouth, Michigan, lamented what she described as a deteriorating American political system, saying she was "embarrassed because we don't have our act together."

Smoke rises following an explosion, after Israel and the U.S. launched strikes on Iran, in Tehran, Iran, February 28, 2026.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Smoke rises following an explosion after the U.S. and Israel reportedly launched an attack against Iran, in Tehran, Iran, February 28, 2026, in this screen grab taken from video.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> A plume of smoke rises following a reported explosion in Tehran on February 28, 2026. Two loud blasts were heard in Tehran on February 28 morning by AFP journalists, and two plumes of thick smoke were seen over the centre and east of the Iranian capital.

Israel's defence ministry announced it had launched a "preemptive strike" on Iran as sirens sounded in Jerusalem and people across the country received phone alerts about an "extremely serious" threat.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> U.S. President Donald Trump pumps his fist after disembarking Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., February 27, 2026. Hours later, Trump made live comments about the military strikes he launched against Iran.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Buildings inin Tehran stand after Israel and the U.S. launched strikes on Iran, February 28, 2026.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />

Latest photos capture US and Israeli strikes against Iran

Smoke rises following an explosion,after Israel and the U.S. launched strikes on Iran, in Tehran, Iran, February 28, 2026.

"There has been no clear objective expressed in terms of why we're there," she added. "Are we there to destroy the nuclear program? Are we there to overturn the regime? Are we there to protect protesters? Why are we there?"

PresidentDonald Trumpand others in his administration have maintained that Iran was taking steps to build a nuclear weapon, posing a grave threat to the United States. Experts previously told USA TODAY such claims are based on assumptions that areeither wrong or greatly exaggerated.

'You can't bomb people into liberation'

According toa Reuters/Ipsos pollreleased less than 48 hours after the United States and Israellaunched their joint military operation, only one in four Americans approve of the Iran strikes. Speakers ata protest at Worcester City Hallin Massachusetts were skeptical if the strikes would improve Iranian lives, condemning what they described as the financial and moral cost of more warfare in the Middle East.

The strikes sparked fear among some that civil unrest in the country of 92 million people would cause more suffering. By mid-day Feb. 28, the Iranian Red Crescent reported that at least 200 people had been killed and more than 700 wounded, including Khamenei, Iran's longtime leader known for repressive rule and anti-Western foreign policy.

ThreeAmerican troops were killed, and several others were seriously injured during the operation.

Megan Giulianelli, who left Iran four decades ago and now lives in New Jersey,cried as she recountedhearing about a strike on an all-girls primary school that an Iranian official saidkilled more than 100 people.Most Iranians, she said, wanted to end a regime that has been "terrorizing people for 47 years," but the joint strikes are "the worst-case scenario."

"You can't bomb people into liberation," she said through tears. "What are they thinking?"

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'Price that's really being paid.'Iranian Americans divided in reactions to US attacks

Student after strikes: 'We were waiting for this moment'

For others, the news of the strikes was welcomed with joy.

Somestudents at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukeecelebrated Khamenei's death with pastries in the school's student union. Narges Khodadadi, a PhD student and president of the school's Iranian Student Association, acknowledged concerns about the future but said she and many others in Iran, including her own family members, are happy and hopeful for brighter days ahead.

"We were waiting for this help and praying for it for a long time," Khodadadi told theMilwaukee Journal Sentinel, part of the USA TODAY Network. "We had two very hard and sad months, and we were waiting for this moment."

Nafiseh Najafi, the owner of a Persian restaurant in Nashville, Tennessee, who was born in Tehran, described the action as anecessary step toward liberationfor the Iranian people.

"Iranians around the world are excited, they are happy," she said. "They are outside, they are celebrating."

A person holds a sign during a Stop the War on Iran protest at Times Square in New York City on February 28, 2026. The US and Israel launched an attack of unprecedented scale against Iran on Saturday.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> People attend the Stop the War on Iran protest at Times Square in New York City on February 28, 2026. The US and Israel launched an attack of unprecedented scale against Iran on Saturday.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> People attend the Stop the War on Iran protest at Times Square in New York City on February 28, 2026.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />

Americans protest 'massive' strikes in Iran amid US-Israeli attack

A person holds a sign during a Stop the War on Iran protest at Times Square in New York City on February 28, 2026.The US and Israel launched an attack of unprecedented scale against Iranon Saturday.

'We are out of tears'

R.A. Kashanipour, an Arizona-based Iranian American whose family mostly remains in Iran, had a different perspective. The conflict leaves Iranians "caught between authoritarians," hetold The Arizona Republic, part of the USA TODAY Network.

He was worried the attack would lead to more violence among Iranians.

"Too much bloodshed has flowed already," Kashanipour told the outlet in a text message. "Unfortunately, it looks like there will be more to come. We are out of tears."

Bryan Costello, a Phoenix resident, called for the United States to "work towards peace" in an interview with the newspaper at the city's March for Life rally on Feb. 28.

"I understand that sometimes peace can only come by the sword, but we have to be more careful in how we do anything," he said.

Contributing:Michael Collins and Francesca Chambers, USA TODAY; Natalie Davies, The Detroit Free Press; Alec Johnson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel; Meg Trogolo, Telegram & Gazette; Hannan Adely, The Record; Molly Davis, The Tennessean; Jose R. Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Americans express shock and hope after deadly US-Israel strikes

NASCAR Austin Auto Racing

The team has been nothing shy of perfect behind driver Tyler Reddick so far early in 2026.

Reddick became the first driver in Cup Series history towin the first three racesof the season Sunday. He started the first road course race of the year from pole position, then held off hard-charging Shane van Gisbergen for the victory at the Circuit of the Americas

When Reddick's Toyota zoomed across the finish line, Jordan was celebrating with the pit crew as the basketball Hall of Famer and six-time NBA champion exchanged high-fives and hugs.

Reddick has been seeing a lot of postrace smiles from Jordan — after hewon the Daytona 500and thenagain in Atlanta. Reddick said Jordan reminded him last week that he "does things in threes," referring to Jordan's NBA championships clusters with the Chicago Bulls.

"I was really glad to live up to that standard," Reddick said.

Jordan's having so much fun, he now wants to go for four.

"I'm going to Phoenix," Jordan said, noting the next race on the calendar.

And why not? The team is having a lot of fun on its march through NASCAR history.

Jordan and Hamlin took on NASCAR witha federal antitrust lawsuit. The settlement in December was considered a major legal victory that secured a permanent franchise-style model and ensured the team would remain in business for the long-term.

Jordan gives Hamlin the credit for building the race-winning team on the track, specifically noting Hamlin's pursuit of Reddick as a driver.

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"He's the mastermind," Jordan said. "I just put up the money. Denny's done an incredible job building this team."

Hamlin gave the compliment right back.

"It's a perfect partnership," Hamlin said. "This doesn't work out if he doesn't give me a lot of autonomy."

Hamlin, who also drives for Joe Gibbs Racing, said he wanted to be as hands-on as possible when building the team.

"I wanted to make sure if it failed it was because of something I did," Hamlin said. "This team had three employees working at. We had zero. We didn't buy a team, we just built it."

Bringing in Reddick has proven almost priceless.

The 30-year-old driver raced to his first win with 23XI at COTA in 2023. He was second at Daytona in 2025, but a season that started with such promise ended winless.

Now he seems unbeatable.

"What a dream start for those guys," Hamlin said.

AP auto racing:https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing