A gunman opened fire at an In-N-Out Burger restaurant in Twin Falls, Idaho, on Saturday afternoon, killing three people and wounding seven others before being found dead near the scene, according to city officials.
Twin Falls city spokesperson Josh Palmer said the shooting occurred around 2 p.m. in a busy shopping plaza, where hundreds of people were present. He confirmed that three people had died and seven more sustained injuries, some of them critical. The suspected gunman's body was discovered in an area adjacent to the restaurant, though Palmer said he could not immediately say whether the suspect was included in the fatality count.
Police Chief Matthew Hicks, addressing a news conference on Saturday, assured residents that “the threat to the community is over.” He described the incident as “a very chaotic scene.” Investigators spent hours interviewing witnesses and collecting evidence as they sought to establish the shooter's identity and motive.
Witness describes moments of terror
Lane Koehn, 34, who was at a stoplight near the restaurant, told the Associated Press that he saw an individual with an AR-style rifle emerge from the drive-thru lane. A man with a pistol responded by firing at the shooter. Koehn then noticed an In-N-Out employee in uniform dragging another worker across the parking lot; the injured woman was bleeding from a gunshot wound to her chest.
“She was pretty bad off, but I don’t know. I hope she made it,” Koehn said. He said police instructed him to evacuate because the situation was still active. Koehn estimated that the shooter fired at least three or four rounds and that it remained unclear whether anyone in particular had been targeted.
Video shows shooter approaching car
A video recorded by a motorist across the street captured the shooter, dressed in black, walking toward a white car while holding a long rifle. The gunman opened the driver-side door, popped the trunk, and reached inside, apparently searching for additional weapons. The person filming quickly left the scene out of fear.
The video, which has trended on social media, also appears to show a bystander with a pistol confronting the active shooter, a move that may have helped prevent further casualties. The footage aligns with Koehn's account and has been widely shared online, though its authenticity has not been independently verified.
Terrified families flee for safety
Haley Dodaro, 43, and her mother were waiting in the drive-thru line when they saw people running across the road and workers bolting out of the restaurant. Initially, Dodaro thought there might be a fire, but a man directing traffic in a reflective vest shouted that there was a shooter.
“So that’s when we knew there was a shooting. People were running out crying and screaming. It was very scary,” Dodaro told the Associated Press via text message.
Nayeli Rodriguez, 40, of Burley, was inside the restaurant with her daughters when she heard gunshots coming from the kitchen. An employee yelled that it was a shooting and told everyone to get down. Rodriguez said an older man tried to shield her and her children, and they were among the last to escape. “We were trying to get as far as we could and some angels let us in their car,” Rodriguez said. “I left my car there in the parking lot.”
Victims taken to hospital
Several of the injured were transported to St. Luke’s Magic Valley Medical Centre. Hospital spokesperson Taylor Marschner said in a statement that the facility was “working closely with law enforcement and emergency responders as they manage the situation.”
The In-N-Out Burger had only opened a week earlier, on July 24, as part of the company’s recent expansion into Idaho. The shooting unfolded in a commercial district of Twin Falls, a city of approximately 56,000 residents situated about 130 miles southeast of Boise and 75 miles north of the Nevada border.
Investigation continues
As of Sunday morning, authorities had not released the names or ages of the victims, as notifications to family members were still in progress. Palmer said investigators were still interviewing witnesses and examining evidence. The motive for the attack remains unknown, and police continue to piece together a timeline of events.
The incident has left the community reeling, just days after the restaurant celebrated its grand opening. Residents described the shooting as a horrifying breach of everyday life, and many have expressed concern over the prevalence of gun violence in public spaces. The investigation is ongoing, and authorities have urged anyone with information to come forward.
