Overview
A mass shooting at a newly opened In-N-Out Burger in Twin Falls, Idaho, left three people dead and seven others wounded on Saturday, August 1, 2026. The gunman, later identified as 24-year-old Chad Williams, died from what police say was a self-inflicted gunshot wound after being confronted by an armed civilian and an off-duty Idaho State Police trooper. Authorities believe that confrontation cut the attack short and prevented additional casualties.
How the Attack Unfolded
Police responded to reports of gunfire at the restaurant, located on Blue Lakes Boulevard within a busy outdoor shopping center, at about 2:29 p.m. Saturday. Twin Falls Police Chief Matthew Hicks said 911 dispatchers could hear screaming and gunshots in the background of emergency calls, and he described the scene as one of the most chaotic situations local officers have faced, given the crowds in the surrounding shopping district.
Witness Lane Koehn, 34, told NBC News he was stopped at a nearby light when he saw a man carrying an AR-style rifle emerge from the restaurant's drive-thru lane and open fire, striking a car in front of him. Koehn said the gunman appeared to panic and move erratically once someone in the drive-thru line began shooting back at him with a handgun.
The restaurant, which had only been open for about a week before the shooting, had to be evacuated along with the surrounding shopping center.
The Good Samaritan: Jordan Salinas
Jordan Salinas, 35, of Kimberly, Idaho, has publicly identified himself as the armed civilian who exchanged gunfire with Williams. Speaking to ABC News, Salinas said he spotted the gunman taking aim at passing vehicles from behind a sign before deciding to confront him.
Salinas described the shooter as unnervingly composed while firing at cars, but said that composure vanished the moment bullets started coming back at him — the gunman's confidence "immediately crumbled" once he came under return fire. Salinas, who was accompanied by his girlfriend, Emily Cohelo, when he spoke with ABC News, had earlier told the Idaho Statesman that Williams "did not like it when bullets started firing both ways."
Police confirmed that Salinas and an off-duty Idaho State Police trooper both returned fire on Williams, and credited their actions with driving him away from the crowded restaurant area. Twin Falls County Sheriff Jack Johnson called the pair "true heroes" who "without a doubt saved many lives." Neither the trooper's identity nor further details about him have been officially released, and the Jerome Police Department is leading a separate review of the trooper's involvement, as is standard practice when a law enforcement officer is involved in a shooting.
The Suspect
Police identified the shooter as Chad Williams, 24, during a Sunday news conference. He was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Officials say they are confident he acted alone, and that a motive remains under investigation.
The College of Southern Idaho confirmed Williams attended the school from 2022 to 2023 but did not graduate. Police said Williams' family is cooperating with the investigation and is also grieving; Hicks said their "hearts are also broken" by what happened.
Twin Falls police have also had to push back on misinformation spreading online, including false claims naming a different person as the shooter. Officials noted that at least one unrelated person — who happens to share the suspect's name and is an active-duty service member — has faced online harassment as a result, and confirmed he has no connection to the case.
Victims
Three people were killed and seven were injured. As of Sunday, two of the injured remained in critical condition, three were in stable condition, and two had been treated and released.
- One of those killed was an In-N-Out employee. In-N-Out Burger President Lynsi Snyder confirmed the loss in a statement, saying the company would be "mourning with the families and praying for them as they tread through a very painful season." A representative for the employee's family identified her to CBS News as 23-year-old Ashley Garibay.
- A relative confirmed to CBS News that 59-year-old Christopher Claunch was also among those killed.
- Among the injured was Terry Dudley, owner of North Star Taxi, who was struck while charging his Tesla near the restaurant. His company announced it would close for several days as he recovers, saying he has "a very long road ahead of him."
Police have not released a full, official list of victims out of respect for the families, and officials cautioned that casualty figures could still be updated as the investigation continues.
Investigation Status
The FBI is assisting Twin Falls police with the investigation and has set up a tip line for the public to submit photos or video from the scene. As of this writing, no motive has been announced, and investigators have not said whether Williams targeted the restaurant specifically or selected victims at random. Police have asked the public to avoid spreading unverified claims about the case as the investigation continues.
Community Response
Local officials have repeatedly emphasized the role played by bystanders in preventing further bloodshed. In addition to Salinas and the off-duty trooper, first responders and other civilians have been publicly praised for helping victims and containing the situation in what officials described as an extremely chaotic scene given the shopping center's foot traffic that afternoon.
Sources: ABC News, NBC News, CBS News, KTLA, East Idaho News, KTVB, NewsNation, and Wikipedia's entry on the 2026 Twin Falls shooting. Details are current as of August 4, 2026; casualty figures, victim identities, and the investigation into a motive may continue to be updated by authorities.
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