10
Loading video...
By Mandy Taheri and Emma Marsden
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
An armed bystander and off-duty state trooper exchanged gunfire with an active shooter during a deadly incident at an In-N-Out Burger in Twin Falls, Idaho, on Saturday, which forced the gunman to take cover, law enforcement said on Sunday.
The Saturday afternoon shooting left four people dead, including 24-year-old gunman Chad Williams, who authorities said died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Seven others were injured.
"I want to extend my deepest thanks to the off-duty trooper and the good citizen that engaged the shooter. These people are true heroes in our community, and their actions diverted the shooter, and no doubt saved many lives," Twin Falls County Sheriff Jack Johnson said during a Sunday press conference.
Read More on News
Police Chief Matthew Hicks said both of their actions, "helped drive the suspect away from the scene, preventing further casualties."
Police had not publicly identified the armed citizen as of Sunday's press conference. However, the Idaho Statesman later identified the man as Jordan Salinas, a 35-year-old healthcare worker who said he fired at the gunman after seeing people flee the restaurant. Newsweek has separately reported on Salinas and his account of the shooting.
The FBI announced a tip line for members of the public to submit photos, videos and other information that may help the ongoing investigation into the shooting.
Newsweek has contacted the Twin Falls Police Department and the city's mayor.
...
What We Know About the Shooting
Law enforcement officers responded to the shooting around 2:30 p.m. local time at the parking lot of the In-N-Out Burger restaurant in Twin Falls, after receiving multiple 911 calls.
The deadly incident remains under investigation and authorities have not publicly identified a motive. Police said multiple people were transported to St. Luke’s Magic Valley Medical Center on Saturday.
Lane Koehn, a 34-year-old construction worker, told the Associated Press he was stopped at a traffic light near the restaurant when he saw bullets strike a vehicle just ahead of him. He then spotted a man about 30 to 40 feet away armed with a semiautomatic rifle near the restaurant's drive-thru.
Koehn said the young shooter was firing aimlessly at "random" and emptying multiple magazines into vehicles, telling The New York Times, "You can tell he was panicking. He was not very calm and collected, running and slinging his rifle around firing."
Koehn stated that he saw "an older gentleman" draw a handgun and engage the suspect from a distance, appearing to force the younger shooter to seek cover. He watched the suspect hide behind the In-N-Out sign and exchange gunfire with the other person in the drive-thru while they tried to dodge bullets.
Koehn told local station KTVB that he then drove his car around the corner into the adjacent parking lot, where he witnessed a girl shot through the chest while an In-N-Out worker tried to drag her to safety through the vehicles. He noted that law enforcement and paramedics arrived quickly.
Other witness accounts and circulating videos online show people running out of the restaurant across the road on Saturday. Haley Dodaro was in the drive-thru lane at the burger chain when she saw people fleeing the restaurant and a man directing traffic said there was a shooter. "So that's when we knew there was a shooting. People were running out crying and screaming. It was very scary," Dodaro said in a text message to the AP.
Law enforcement officers expressed their condolences for the impacted families and the community at large on Sunday.
The FBI has "committed the full weight of our resources to the Twin Falls Police Department, deploying every investigative and intelligence tool at our disposal," FBI Special Agent Robert Bowles said on Sunday.
In a statement provided to Newsweek on Sunday, In-N-Out Chief Operating Officer Denny Warnick said: "We are heartbroken. Our prayers go out to our Customers, our Associates, and all of their families. We are working with the Twin Falls Police Department to assist in the on-going investigation."
Ahead of the press conference, authorities had warned of "misinformation" about the shooter's identity and Hicks said an individual that was circulating on social media as the potential shooter had “no involvement in this incident whatsoever.”
Officers said Williams' family is cooperating with law enforcement.
As investigators continue examining Williams' background and possible motive, additional details about his time at the College of Southern Idaho have emerged.
Who Was Chad Williams?
Authorities have not publicly discussed a motive for the shooting.
Williams attended the College of Southern Idaho from August 2022 through December 2023 but did not graduate, according to a statement provided to Newsweek by CSI President L. Dean Fisher.
"The College confirms that Chad Williams was a student at the College of Southern Idaho from 8/22/2022 to 12/14/2023. He did not graduate with a credential from the College," Fisher said. The college added that it would "cooperate with appropriate law enforcement agencies, as appropriate, during their investigation."
Newsweek also reviewed Associated Students of the College of Southern Idaho student government meeting minutes from February 2023 showing that Williams served as a student senator. The minutes show the student senate unanimously voted to impeach Williams during a February 21, 2023, meeting, although they do not specify the reason for the impeachment.
Additional details about Williams' tenure in the student senate, including whether he previously declared a major, were not immediately available Monday afternoon, a College of Southern Idaho spokesperson told Newsweek.
...
Who Was Injured In the Shooting?
Authorities have not publicly identified all of those who were injured or killed in the shooting.
During the Sunday press conference, authorities said two of the injured were treated at a hospital and released, three are in stable condition and two remain in critical condition.
In-N-Out said one of its employees was killed in the shooting.
"My heart is broken, my chest is heavy, my eyes burn from the tears I've shed. We lost one of our beautiful Associates tonight," In-N-Out owner Lynsi Snyder said in a Sunday statement on social media. "In-N-Out will be mourning with the families and praying for them as they tread through a very painful season."
The chain's Twin Falls location had just opened on July 24. Snyder said earlier this week the restaurant will reopen on Friday, August 7.
"As we reopen our doors, we do so with a steadfast commitment to supporting our Associates and serving the community that has demonstrated remarkable strength and compassion during this difficult time," she said.
North Star Taxi, a local car service, said in a Facebook update Saturday that one of their drivers was injured in the incident.
"We will be closed for the rest of the night and possibly the next couple of days. Our driver Terry Dudley was the victim of a mass shooting today. He is alive but has a very long road ahead of him," the post read.
A GoFundMe for Dudley and other victims was started on Sunday by one of Dudley's friends and colleague, who described him as "the kind of man who quietly puts others before himself, who works hard, loves deeply, and never hesitates to lend a helping hand. He is tenacious, compassionate, kind hearted, and has a way of making those around him smile, even on their hardest days."
Anyone with information related to this incident who has not already spoken with law enforcement is asked to contact dispatch at 208-735-4357.
Mass Shootings in the U.S.
The Idaho attack comes amid a year that has already seen hundreds of mass shootings nationwide. The nonprofit organization Gun Violence Archive (GVA) has tracked 275 mass shootings in the United States. Mass shootings are most often defined as an incident where at least four people are shot.
In mid-July at least nine mass shootings killed nine people and injured at least 60 people across the country in one weekend, ABC News reported.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Tobias Meyjes, Tony Phillips and Anthony Murray.
...
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines