A deadly shooting rocked an otherwise sleepy Idaho town on Saturday, leaving residents stunned and police trying to piece together what happened and why.
Police are continuing to investigate why the 24-year-old gunman opened fire at
a crowded In-N-Out Burger in Twin Falls, Idaho, on Saturday, killing three people and wounding seven others before taking his own life after exchanging gunfire with a bystander and an off-duty Idaho state trooper. Twin Falls Police Chief Matthew Hicks said Sunday that investigators believe Chad Williams acted alone.
However, authorities have not yet determined a motive for the attack or fully reconstructed his movements leading up to the shooting.
That said, Hicks added that the armed intervention by the bystander and off-duty trooper no doubt saved lives. “We believe their actions helped drive the suspect away from the scene, preventing further casualties,” Hicks said.
“We want to take a moment and commend the actions of the off-duty officer and the citizen, and their heroic action to stop this incident,” he added. Authorities have not publicly identified either the off-duty Idaho state trooper or the armed bystander who exchanged gunfire with the suspect during the attack.
However, the Idaho Statesman newspaper identified the bystander as Jordan Salinas, 35, of Kimberly, Idaho.
According to the paper, Salinas was carrying an FN Five-seveN semiautomatic pistol equipped with a suppressor when he confronted the gunman.
Salinas, a reported “healthcare worker, the full-time caregiver of his wheelchair-bound brother,” told the paper he took up firearms training after a 2021 shooting – never even aiming a gun at an animal beforehand – saying he was able to “observe,” “orient” and “decide” that “OK, this is the guy,” he said before being resolved to “act.”
He said the gunman appeared to be shocked by the armed response.
“He did not like it when bullets started firing both ways,” said Salinas, whose girlfriend was in the restaurant at the time and pinned down by Williams’ gunfire.
He told the Statesman that he felt “no fear.”
“There’s a task that needs to be done, and we’re the ones who need to do it,” he said, adding that he only stood down after police arrived and took over the scene.
“OK, my part is done,” he recalled thinking after cops got there. Police said the shooter was found dead at the scene from a self-inflicted wound.
“These people are true heroes in our community,” Twin Falls County Sheriff Jack Johnson said. “They diverted the shooter and without a doubt saved many lives.”
🚨 HEROES STOP MASS SHOOTER AT IDAHO IN-N-OUT
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) August 3, 2026
Two people are being credited with saving lives during a mass shooting Saturday at a newly opened In-N-Out restaurant in Twin Falls, Idaho.
An off-duty state trooper and a civilian immediately returned fire on the gunman, driving… pic.twitter.com/foVf7iIyuR
Police Chief Matthew Hicks said the suspect’s family has been cooperating with investigators as detectives continue reviewing Chad Williams’ activities before the shooting and working to determine whether any of the victims were specifically targeted. Authorities said seven people were injured in the attack.
As of Sunday, two remained in critical condition, three were listed in stable condition, and two had been treated and released from the hospital.
Officials said both the armed bystander and the off-duty Idaho state trooper fired at Williams during what they described as a chaotic and rapidly unfolding attack, diverting his attention away from the restaurant as customers and employees fled to safety.
Witness Lane Koehn, 34, told the Associated Press he was stopped at a traffic light near the restaurant when he saw a man carrying an AR-style rifle emerge from the drive-thru area. Koehn said another individual armed with a handgun then began firing at the gunman.
Koehn also said he saw an In-N-Out employee drag a wounded co-worker across the parking lot after the employee had been shot in the chest.
In a statement, In-N-Out owner Lynsi Snyder confirmed that one of the three people killed in the shooting was an employee of the restaurant.
