A Saturday afternoon at one of Idaho’s newest In-N-Out Burger locations turned into a deadly nightmare when a gunman opened fire, killing three people and injuring seven others before taking his own life.
Police identified the shooter Sunday as 24-year-old Chad Williams and said they are confident he acted alone, while investigators continued working to determine what led to the deadly attack.
Authorities said hundreds of potential witnesses were expected to be interviewed as they pieced together what happened.
The shooting happened at around 2:30 p.m. Saturday at the In-N-Out on Blue Lakes Boulevard North in Twin Falls. The restaurant had opened just eight days earlier, making it the chain’s fourth location in Idaho.
Twin Falls Police Chief Matthew Hicks said officers rushed to the area after a wave of 911 calls reporting gunfire.
“Dispatchers could hear screaming and reports of gunshots in the background,” Hicks told NBC News.
Authorities said three people were killed and seven others wounded. Two of the injured remained in critical condition Sunday.
One of the victims was an In-N-Out employee, according to company president Lynsi Snyder.
“She was taking care of our most important asset — our customers, and her life was taken by a disgusting human who doesn’t value the lives of others or his own,” Snyder shared.
She added: “He shot both on our property and off and ended his life shortly after he took the precious lives of our associate and customers, innocent people who never saw it coming.”
Chaos erupted as customers ran for their lives
The shooting unfolded in one of Twin Falls’ busiest commercial areas, surrounded by major stores and a movie theater complex.
Haley Dodaro was arriving at the restaurant with her mother when the shooting began. They were driving around the buildings trying to reach the drive-thru when Haley suddenly noticed people running across the road.
Video recorded by Haley showed a woman running with two children and apparently urging them to call police.
Haley and her mother asked what was happening through an open car window. A man wearing a yellow reflective vest responded with a terrifying warning:
“Shoot, shoot.”
That was the moment Haley realized they were in the middle of an active shooting.
“So that’s when we knew there was a shooting,” Dodaro said. “People were running out crying and screaming. It was very scary and terrifying.”
Other witnesses described similar scenes of panic as customers fled the restaurant and surrounding parking lots.
Two armed civilians helped confront the shooter
As Chad Williams continued firing, two men nearby made the decision to fight back — an armed bystander and an off-duty state police officer who happened to be in the area.
Authorities have not publicly identified the second man. Instead, The Associated Press reported that officials have described him simply as an “off-duty state trooper.”
Chief Hicks praised both men for confronting the gunman, saying their actions forced Williams away from the crowded restaurant and may have prevented an even greater loss of life.
“These people are true heroes in our community,” Twin Falls County Sheriff Jack Johnson said.
He added: “They diverted the shooter and without a doubt saved many lives.”
One of the two men was later identified as Jordan Salinas, a healthcare worker from Kimberly, Idaho.
According to the Idaho Statesman, Jordan had arrived at the restaurant for lunch with his girlfriend when he heard what initially sounded like popping noises. It quickly became clear that people were running from gunfire.
Jordan drew his legally carried handgun and returned fire, helping push the gunman away from the restaurant.
“He did not like it when bullets started firing both ways,” Jordan recalled.
Authorities said the exchange drove Williams away from the restaurant and toward an open parking lot near the city’s visitor center. It was there, police said, that Williams ultimately died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Survivors describe the horrifying aftermath
Among those wounded was 62-year-old Terry Dudley, a Twin Falls taxi driver and father of four. Terry had been charging his Tesla when he was struck by gunfire.
His son Michael said his father was shot “in the back, around the neck area.”
“He was just in the car,” Michael told NBC News. “He got shot, and then the car next to him got lit up, as well.”
Michael said his father remained intubated but appeared to be improving.
“I’m honestly glad he’s been handled and taken care of,” he said.
A fundraiser described Terry as a devoted widower whose children “are his world.”
It praised him as someone 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.”
The family said Terry faces surgeries, rehabilitation and mounting medical bills while being unable to work.
“Between surgeries, rehabilitation, medical expenses, and the loss of income while he heals, the financial burden on Terry and his family will be immense. The last thing they should have to worry about during this fight is how they are going to make ends meet.”
His son Osiris Dudley also asked the public for prayers.
“My dad Terry Dudley was the victim of a mass shooting in Twin Falls, Idaho. I ask for thoughts and prayers to go out to my dad.”
Another victim, Austin “AJ” Scott, was critically injured after his family said he moved toward the danger in an attempt to help others.
His father, Marcus Scott, described it as a “courageous decision.”
“He was critically injured and is now facing a long road of surgeries, recovery and rehab rehabilitation,” Marcus said.
Marcus Scott told The Associated Press on Monday that his son had previously worked as a law enforcement officer with both the Twin Falls Police Department and the Idaho State Police. He declined to discuss his son’s actions further, saying that it was his son’s story to tell.
Witness remembers gunman “panicking”
Construction worker Lane Koehn also witnessed the attack and described Williams as appearing increasingly frantic as he moved through the parking lot.
Lane said one impression stayed with him;
“He was panicking.”
“He was not very calm and collected, running and slinging his rifle around, firing,” Lane said.
Lane also recalled seeing an injured In-N-Out employee being helped by people at the scene.
“He was just screaming and screaming hert name, telling her, ‘Wake up.’ … She was in and out of it,” Lane recalled in an interview with New York Times.
“She would be up and say a few words and stuff.”
A retired EMT who happened to be nearby rushed to help until emergency crews arrived.
Area locked down as investigation continues
Following the shooting, authorities issued a shelter-in-place order for the surrounding area before eventually lifting it.
A nearby Chick-fil-A closed for the rest of the day as a precaution.
“Out of an abundance of caution, Chick-fil-A Twin Falls will be closed for the remainder of today,” the restaurant said.
The nearby Magic Valley Mall was also closed, with people inside instructed to remain where they were. Police and other agencies flooded the area as investigators began processing the crime scene and interviewing witnesses.
Chief Hicks said authorities expected hundreds of potential witnesses to be interviewed as detectives worked to reconstruct exactly what happened.
“We are that confident Mr. Williams acted alone,” Hicks said.
But the question of why he opened fire remains unanswered.
Williams attended the College of Southern Idaho between August 2022 and December 2023, according to the school’s president, L. Dean Fisher. He did not graduate or receive a certificate from the college, which has roughly 10,000 students.
Elijah Moseley, who lived across the hall from Williams in a College of Southern Idaho dorm several years ago, remembered him as “an introvert” and “a pretty chill guy.”
“I was never scared or weirded out by him,” Moseley said.
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