The gunman who opened fire outside a newly opened In-N-Out Burger in Twin Falls, Idaho, on Saturday, August 1, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after an off-duty state trooper and an armed civilian fired back and drove him from the scene, police said Sunday, August 2. Three people were killed and seven others were wounded in the attack, which unfolded in a crowded shopping plaza just after 2 p.m. local time.
Twin Falls Police Chief Matthew Hicks identified the shooter as 24-year-old Chad Williams and said investigators are confident he acted alone. A motive remains under investigation, Hicks said, adding that Williams’ family is cooperating fully with law enforcement.
Officers responded to a report of shots fired on Blue Lakes Boulevard at 2:29 p.m., and what they found was harrowing. Hicks described the encounter as among the most disorienting situations police confront during their careers. Dispatchers on the 911 calls could hear screaming and gunfire in the background.
A Trooper and a Citizen Fire Back
Hicks credited the off-duty Idaho state trooper and a private citizen with confronting Williams and returning fire, actions he said pushed the gunman away before he could inflict more harm. The civilian who fired back was identified as Jordan Salinas, a 35-year-old from Kimberly, Idaho. Salinas told the Idaho Statesman that Williams “did not like it when bullets started firing both ways.”
The chief praised both men at a Sunday news conference, calling their response heroic and saying it prevented further casualties.
Another man, Austin James, ran toward the danger to try to stop the gunman but deliberately kept his own firearm holstered, his father, Marcus James, told CBS News, out of fear that responding officers would mistake him for the attacker. Austin James suffered critical injuries during a direct encounter with Williams. His wife and a friend, both emergency room nurses, provided immediate medical care on site before emergency personnel transported him to a hospital. Braxton Stuebe, working at a nearby Dick’s Sporting Goods store, said a wave of panicked people surged inside as a woman shouted that there was an active shooter. Stuebe and a coworker fled out a back door and ran directly into the gunman. He said he froze and raised his hands as the weapon was pointed at him, pleading that he had a family and would do anything. Williams grew emotional, Stuebe recalled, and told him to get away. Moments later, as the gunman backed off, he fired a shot that narrowly missed.
An Employee Among the Dead
One of those killed was an In-N-Out worker. Lynsi Snyder, the chain’s president, said in a statement posted early Sunday that In-N-Out had lost one of its associates. The employee was tending to customers when the shooting began, Snyder said, adding that In-N-Out would mourn alongside the victims’ families. Officials had not released the names of the dead or wounded, saying relatives were still being notified.
The restaurant had opened only about a week earlier, on July 24, part of the California-based company’s recent expansion into Idaho. On Sunday, authorities said two of the seven injured had been treated and released, three were in stable condition, and two remained critical.
Among the wounded was Terry Dudley, who was shot twice while charging his electric vehicle near the restaurant, his son, Micheal Dudley, told ABC News. Terry Dudley called 911 and a friend before being airlifted to a hospital in Boise.
Hundreds Nearby as Chaos Erupted
The In-N-Out sits at a crowded retail center, and many shoppers were present when shots rang out. Lane Koehn, 34, said he was stopped at a nearby light when he saw someone with an AR-style rifle emerge from the drive-thru and a man with a pistol begin firing at him. Koehn watched a uniformed employee drag a coworker, bleeding from a chest wound, across the parking lot, and the two waited with her until paramedics arrived. He said Williams discharged multiple shots and that it was unclear whether anyone was specifically targeted.
Video recorded by a driver across the street showed a figure dressed in black walking up to a white car carrying a rifle, pulling open the door on the driver’s side and releasing the trunk latch before reaching inside. The person who filmed it fled, fearing the man was retrieving more weapons.
Twin Falls resident Haley Dodaro, 43, was waiting in the drive-thru with her mother when workers bolted from the building and a man in a reflective vest warned of a shooter. People were “running out crying and screaming,” she said in a text message. Nayeli Rodriguez, 40, of Burley, was inside with her daughters when she heard shots from the kitchen and an employee ordered everyone down. An older man tried to shield her family, and strangers ultimately let them into a car to escape.
Multiple victims were taken to St. Luke’s Magic Valley Medical Center. The FBI set up a digital media tipline urging the public to submit images and video, and Hicks cautioned against misinformation, noting that a man with no involvement had been falsely named online as the attacker. Speaking of Williams’ relatives, the chief said their hearts were broken, too.
