A shooting at an In-N-Out Burger in southern Idaho on a Saturday afternoon resulted in three deaths and seven injuries. Some victims sustained grave injuries, according to a spokesperson from the city of Twin Falls.
Police responding to the scene discovered the body of the suspected shooter in an area close to the restaurant. The city’s public information officer, Josh Palmer, mentioned uncertainty about whether the suspect was included in the fatality count.
Authorities were still in the process of notifying victims’ families before disclosing any names, ages, or further details about those injured in the shooting. Palmer confirmed that some of the injured are in critical condition.
Twin Falls Police Chief Matthew Hicks stated at an earlier conference that officers were working to identify the shooter and understand the motive behind the attack. He assured, “We believe the threat to the community has ended.” Hicks described the situation as extremely chaotic.
Investigators were actively conducting interviews with witnesses. The shooting occurred in a bustling commercial area around 2 p.m., with hundreds present at the time.
Lane Koehn, 34, witnessed the incident while stopped at a traffic light near the restaurant. He saw an individual with an AR-style rifle exiting the drive-thru. Another man with a handgun started shooting at the suspect.
Koehn observed someone in an In-N-Out uniform dragging another person, who was also in uniform and bleeding from a chest wound, through the parking lot. Koehn, along with the employee and the man with the gun, stayed with the injured person until paramedics arrived. “It was pretty bad. I hope they survived,” Koehn expressed.
Police instructed Koehn to evacuate due to continued threats. He noted that the shooter fired at least three or four shots, though it was unclear if anyone was specifically targeted.
A video recorded by another driver across the street showed a shooter, seemingly dressed in black, approaching a white car with a long rifle. The person opened the driver’s side door and the trunk, then appeared to reach into the trunk. Fearing the individual might be retrieving more weapons, the recording driver quickly left.
Haley Dodaro, a 43-year-old resident of Twin Falls, recounted her experience while at the drive-thru with her mother. Initially assuming a fire, they noticed people running and employees rushing out. A traffic director explained the presence of a shooter. “It was terrifying,” Dodaro shared in a text to The Associated Press.
Nayeli Rodriguez, 40, from Burley, was inside with her daughters when she heard the shots from the kitchen. An employee advised everyone to get down. Rodriguez shared how an older man tried to protect them, and they were among the last to escape. “We tried to get as far away as possible, and some angels let us onto their car,” she texted, noting she left her vehicle in the parking lot.
The In-N-Out location had opened on July 24, approximately a week prior, as part of the company’s recent Idaho expansion.
Several victims were taken to St. Luke’s Magic Valley Medical Center. Hospital spokesperson Taylor Marschner stated that they were “working closely with law enforcement and emergency services in managing the situation.”
Twin Falls is a city of about 56,000 residents, located approximately 205 kilometers southeast of Boise and 120 kilometers north of Nevada’s border.