A horrific shooting at an In-N-Out Burger in Twin Falls, Idaho on Saturday claimed three lives and wounded seven others before 24-year-old Chad Williams took his own life. The tragedy unfolded at a crowded restaurant in what is typically a quiet community, and as Conservative Brief reported, police still have absolutely no idea why it happened.
Twin Falls Police Chief Matthew Hicks confirmed on Sunday that Williams apparently acted alone, but investigators haven't nailed down a motive or fully traced his movements before the attack. The suspect's family is cooperating with law enforcement, and detectives are still working to figure out whether any of the victims were specifically targeted.
Now here's where this story takes a turn that Second Amendment advocates will be talking about for years. An off-duty Idaho state trooper and an armed civilian both opened fire on Williams during the chaos, and authorities credit them with preventing an even worse outcome. Chief Hicks said their actions drove the gunman away from the restaurant as customers and employees scrambled to safety.
The armed bystander was identified by the Idaho Statesman as Jordan Salinas, a 35-year-old healthcare worker from Kimberly, Idaho, who serves as a full-time caregiver for his wheelchair-bound brother. Salinas was packing an FN Five-seveN semiautomatic pistol with a suppressor when he confronted Williams. Get this, the guy never even pointed a firearm at an animal before picking up weapons training after a 2021 shooting. He described his thought process as observing, orienting, and deciding that "OK, this is the guy" before choosing to act.
Salinas said Williams seemed genuinely surprised that someone was shooting back at him. According to Salinas, the gunman "did not like it when bullets started firing both ways." His girlfriend was trapped inside the restaurant during the attack, pinned down by gunfire, and Salinas told reporters he felt "no fear" whatsoever. He only stepped back once law enforcement arrived on scene, thinking to himself that his part was finished.
Witness Lane Koehn, 34, told the Associated Press he was sitting at a red light near the restaurant when he spotted a man with an AR-style rifle coming from the drive-thru area, followed by another person with a handgun returning fire. Koehn also witnessed an In-N-Out employee dragging a wounded coworker across the parking lot after that person had been shot in the chest.
In-N-Out owner Lynsi Snyder confirmed that one of the three people killed was a restaurant employee.
As of Sunday, two of the seven wounded remained in critical condition, three were stable, and two had already been treated and released. Twin Falls County Sheriff Jack Johnson called both the trooper and Salinas "true heroes" who "without a doubt saved many lives" by diverting the shooter's attention.
Authorities have not publicly identified the off-duty state trooper involved.
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