3 Dead in Twin Falls In-N-Out Shooting, Bystander and Off-Duty Trooper Credited With Stopping Gunman

Three people were killed and seven others injured after a gunman opened fire at a newly opened In-N-Out Burger in Twin Falls, Idaho, on Saturday afternoon, before turning the gun on himself. Police have identified the shooter as 24-year-old Chad Williams.

The shooting unfolded around 2:30 p.m. local time, when multiple 911 calls came in reporting gunfire at the restaurant, known for its burgers and milkshakes. Twin Falls Police Chief Matthew Hicks said dispatchers could hear screaming and gunshots in the background of the calls. Social media video showed a person carrying what appeared to be a rifle emerging from the restaurant’s drive-thru area, with witnesses describing chaos as customers dove from their seats, some barricading themselves in restrooms while workers scrambled out the front door onto the sidewalk of a busy street. The restaurant, part of a location that had only recently opened in the southern Idaho city, quickly became the site of one of the state’s most significant mass casualty events in recent memory.

Hicks confirmed Sunday that Williams died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound and that investigators are confident he acted alone. Of those injured, two were treated and released at St. Luke’s Magic Valley Medical Center, three remained in stable condition, and two were in critical condition as of Sunday’s briefing, though the chief cautioned those figures were preliminary and subject to change as the investigation progressed. In-N-Out President Lynsi Snyder confirmed in a statement that a female employee was among those killed, saying the employee was “taking care of our most important asset, our customers” at the time of the shooting, without releasing her name out of respect for the family. Police have not yet publicly identified any of the three victims, and it remains unclear how many were customers versus staff members working at the time of the attack.

Authorities credited an off-duty Idaho State Police trooper and an armed civilian bystander with helping prevent further casualties. According to Hicks, the pair “actively engaged” Williams by returning gunfire, and their actions are believed to have driven him from the scene before he could cause additional harm. Twin Falls County Sheriff Jack Johnson called the two men “true heroes in our community,” saying they “without a doubt saved many lives.” Witness Lane Koehn, who was stopped at a nearby traffic light when the shooting began, told NBC News he watched the gunman move through the drive-thru toward his own vehicle after coming under fire from the armed bystander, an account that lines up with police descriptions of how the confrontation unfolded. Koehn said bullets struck a car directly in front of him during the exchange, underscoring how close bystanders came to being caught in the crossfire themselves. Police have not publicly released the names of either the trooper or the civilian involved, citing the ongoing nature of the investigation.

Also Read: Mamdani Admits NYC Can’t Arrest Netanyahu, Then Faces Antisemitism Backlash at Manhattan Rally

A motive for the shooting remains under investigation. Hicks said Williams’ family has been notified and is actively cooperating with law enforcement as police work to determine what led to the attack. During Sunday’s press conference, the chief also moved to correct misinformation circulating online, specifically noting that another name being shared on social media as a possible suspect was “absolutely false,” and urged the public not to spread unverified claims while the investigation continues. A separate officer-involved shooting reported in Twin Falls the same night was confirmed by police to be unrelated to the In-N-Out attack and is being independently reviewed by the Jerome Police Department, adding a layer of confusion to an already chaotic night for local law enforcement juggling multiple incidents simultaneously.

Among those hospitalized was Terry Dudley, owner of North Star Taxi, a taxi service operating across multiple Idaho locations. In a Facebook post, the company announced it would remain closed for several days following Dudley’s injury, writing that “he is alive but has a very long road ahead of him” and asking the community to keep him in their thoughts and prayers. Officers from the Meridian, Caldwell and Nampa police departments were sworn in to assist Idaho State Police with additional patrols across Twin Falls in the shooting’s aftermath, a response that reflected the scale of the mobilization required in the hours immediately following the attack.

Also Read: Nvidia in Talks for $250 Billion OpenAI Backstop as AI’s Money Machine Gets Even Stranger

Idaho Governor Brad Little had earlier described the unfolding situation as “an active shooter situation” and urged the public to stay away from the area of Twin Falls while officers responded. In the days since, local officials have emphasized both the trauma experienced by the community and the swift response from law enforcement and bystanders alike in limiting the scope of the tragedy.

The Twin Falls Police Department has asked anyone with information about the shooting to contact investigators at 208-735-4357, or to submit videos, photos or other digital evidence directly to the FBI at fbi.gov/twinfallsshooting. Hicks emphasized that “even the smallest detail may be important to our investigation” as authorities continue working to establish a complete timeline and motive behind Saturday’s attack, which marked yet another instance of gun violence at a public gathering space in the United States this year, reigniting familiar debates over public safety and gun policy in communities across the country.