Three individuals lost their lives and over a dozen were injured in a shooting incident that occurred shortly before 2 a.m. on March 1 at Buford’s, a bar located at the intersection of West Sixth and Rio Grande streets. The assailant, identified as 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne, was shot and killed by law enforcement. The FBI has initiated an investigation into the event, considering it a potential act of terrorism.
George Davis Jr., one of the victims who was shot during the West Sixth Street incident, is making an effort to reach out to three strangers who came to his aid after he was injured. In an interview, he expressed his desire to thank them for their quick response that night.
“I need to thank them,” Davis stated. “Even though they weren’t thinking of doing something like that that night, they decided to act. And because of that, I believe I’m alive today.”
The shooting unfolded when a man parked a black SUV in front of Buford’s, activated his hazard lights, and opened fire on patrons outside the establishment with a semi-automatic handgun. The violence resulted in three fatalities and multiple injuries.
Davis recounted that he was waiting for an Uber on West Sixth Street when he first heard the gunshots. His instinct was to flee towards North Lamar Boulevard, believing he had escaped the danger. However, the gunman, having parked his vehicle nearby, exited and began shooting with an AR-15-style rifle, ultimately striking Davis in the back below his left shoulder.
Despite the chaos, Davis remained “surprisingly focused” as he called 911 for help. “They didn’t want me to move,” he recalled. “But after a couple of minutes, I realized I was by myself and not really next to Buford’s bar where every police officer and ambulance was. I needed to get somewhere where I can be seen.”
Davis managed to run to North Lamar near REI Co-op and BookPeople, attempting to flag down passing cars for assistance. “No blame to them,” he acknowledged. “They were trying to get out of a crazy scene.”
As he felt his condition worsening, with blood filling his lungs, a woman passing by noticed his distress and rushed to help. “She had a scared look on her face,” he described. “Obviously, I’m covered in blood, kind of panicked on the phone, and I just said, ‘Hey, I’ve been shot. Do you have any kind of cloth? Do you have any shirts?'”
The woman applied pressure to his wound with a T-shirt while communicating with 911 operators on his behalf. In that moment, Davis spotted another man fleeing the scene and called for his help. “I asked him, ‘Hey, do you have a car? Do you have a friend … that could help me get to the hospital?'” Davis recounted. After a quick exchange, a vehicle pulled up on North Lamar.
The driver welcomed both Davis and the woman into the car, and she continued applying pressure to his wound until they reached the hospital. “I’m sure the backseat of that car is ruined,” Davis reflected. “That’s part of the reason why I empathize with them, because some people may think in the middle of that situation: ‘No, not my car.’ It takes a courageous human being to not just get out but actually help others escape with them.”
Davis underwent surgery the morning following the shooting and was discharged the following Tuesday. Since then, he has been actively sharing his story online in hopes of reconnecting with the three strangers who aided him that night. Unfortunately, amidst the chaos, he did not catch their names.
“Up until now, I haven’t heard anything, but I’m still hopeful that we can connect,” he said. “They may not want to for certain reasons, and I totally understand that. But I’m going to make the effort.”
