A gunman who opened fire at a crowded In-N-Out Burger in Twin Falls, Idaho, over the weekend killed three people and wounded seven others before taking his own life after an armed bystander and an off-duty Idaho state trooper returned fire. Police said Sunday that the attack was carried out by a single shooter, but investigators had not yet established why he targeted the restaurant.
Twin Falls Police Chief Matthew Hicks said detectives were confident that 24-year-old Chad Williams acted alone in the Saturday shooting. Investigators had not determined a motive or fully traced Williams’s movements before the attack, Hicks said, and detectives were examining whether any of the victims had been deliberately targeted. The gunman’s family was cooperating with authorities, he added. Williams was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound near the restaurant, according to police.
Authorities credited the two people who fired at Williams with preventing more casualties. «We believe their actions helped drive the suspect away from the scene, preventing further casualties», Hicks said. «We want to take a moment and commend the actions of the off-duty officer and the citizen, and their heroic action to stop this incident.» Twin Falls County Sheriff Jack Johnson also praised the pair, saying they «diverted the shooter and without a doubt saved many lives».
Police have not publicly identified the off-duty trooper, but the Idaho Statesman identified the armed citizen as Jordan Salinas, 35, of Kimberly, Idaho. Salinas, described as a healthcare worker and the full-time caregiver of his wheelchair-bound brother, told the newspaper he took up gun training after a 2021 shooting and was armed with an FN Five-seveN semiautomatic pistol fitted with a suppressor. His girlfriend was at the restaurant when the gunfire began. Salinas said the gunman appeared shocked by the armed response. «He did not like it when bullets started firing both ways», Salinas said. He described feeling no fear and stopped only when police took over the scene. «There’s a task that needs to be done, and we’re the ones who need to do it», he added.
The attack unfolded Saturday afternoon at a recently opened restaurant in a busy commercial area where hundreds of shoppers, diners, and employees were believed to be present. Seven people were wounded in the shooting. By Sunday, two remained in critical condition, three were listed as stable, and two had been treated and released from a hospital.
One of the three people killed was an In-N-Out employee, company owner Lynsi Snyder confirmed in a statement. The employee was caring for customers when she was killed, Snyder said. «My heart is broken, my chest is heavy, my eyes burn from the tears I’ve shed», Snyder said. «We lost one of our beautiful associates tonight.» Snyder said In-N-Out would mourn with the families and was offering support to victims, employees, and their families while working with police. Authorities had not released the victims’ names as they worked to notify relatives.
Witness Lane Koehn, 34, said he was stopped at a traffic light near the restaurant when he saw a man carrying an AR-style rifle emerge from the drive-thru. Another man armed with a handgun then began firing at the shooter, Koehn told The Associated Press. Koehn also said he saw an In-N-Out employee drag a wounded co-worker across the parking lot. The injured worker had been shot in the chest, he said. «She was pretty bad off, but I don’t know. I hope she made it», Koehn said.
Other witnesses described a scene of chaos and panic. Twin Falls resident Haley Dodaro said she and her mother were waiting in the drive-thru when workers ran from the restaurant and people fled across the road. At first, she thought there might have been a fire, but a person directing traffic then warned of an active shooter. «People were running out crying and screaming», she said. «It was very scary.» Nayeli Rodriguez, who was inside the restaurant with her daughters, said an employee told customers to get down after gunfire was heard near the kitchen. An older man tried to shield Rodriguez and her children before they escaped. «We were trying to get as far as we could, and some angels let us in their car», Rodriguez said.
A local taxi company, North Star Taxi, said one of its drivers, Terry Dudley, was shot twice in the back while charging his Tesla near the restaurant. Dudley survived but faced «a very long road ahead», the company said.
Late Sunday, Salinas posted on Facebook to urge people to focus on the victims, their families, and everyone affected by the tragedy. He said the last 24 hours had been overwhelming and thanked family, friends, and supporters who had reached out. He added that he would share a more complete account of what happened when he was able.
