By MES Dispatch Staff
The Briefing
- An armed civilian and off-duty Idaho state trooper engaged a shooter Aug. 1 at an In-N-Out Burger in Twin Falls, diverting him from continued attacks that had killed three people and wounded seven others.
- Suspect Chad Williams, 24, opened fire at the restaurant; the intervention by the civilian and trooper caused Williams to break off his assault and focus on the threat posed by returning fire.
- Armed civilian Jordan Salinas, who had received tactical and firearms training following a 2021 Boise Mall shooting, was armed with an FN Five-Seven handgun when he heard gunshots and approached the restaurant.
- Twin Falls Police Chief Matthew Hicks and Cassia County Sheriff Jack Johnson praised the actions of Salinas and the off-duty trooper, stating their intervention prevented additional casualties.
- Williams died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after on-duty officers arrived at the scene.
TWIN FALLS, IDAHO — An armed civilian and off-duty state trooper engaged a shooter Aug. 1 who had opened fire at a Twin Falls restaurant, diverting the suspect’s assault in a manner that law enforcement credited with preventing additional casualties.
Chad Williams, 24, opened fire at an In-N-Out Burger location, killing three people and wounding seven others during his rampage.
Civilian witness Jordan Salinas heard gunfire and responded immediately to the restaurant. Salinas was carrying an FN Five-Seven handgun and possessed tactical and firearms training he had received following a 2021 shooting at a Boise Mall that resulted in two deaths. Salinas told the Idaho Statesman that he began weekly firearms and tactical training following that incident.
Upon hearing gunshots at the In-N-Out, Salinas moved toward the location and began engaging Williams with his handgun. An off-duty state trooper also began returning fire at the suspect.
Witness Lane Koehn, who observed portions of the incident while stopped at a nearby traffic light, told NBC News that the return fire by Salinas and the off-duty trooper distracted Williams from shooting additional victims. Koehn stated that Williams appeared panicked and focused on the threat posed by the armed civilians rather than continuing his assault on other patrons.
“The shooter was solely focused on him, and it allowed us to get out,” Koehn said. “The car directly ahead of me was getting shot — it gave them time to leave.”
Salinas recalled that the suspect did not respond favorably when bullets started firing in both directions. “He did not like it when bullets started firing both ways,” Salinas stated.
Twin Falls Police Chief Matthew Hicks confirmed that the civilian and off-duty officer’s actions directly contributed to limiting the scope of the attack. “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.”
Twin Falls County Sheriff Jack Johnson similarly praised the intervention. “I want to extend my deepest thanks to the off-duty trooper and the good citizen that engaged the shooter. These people are true heroes in our community, and their actions diverted the shooter and no doubt saved many lives,” Johnson stated.
On-duty Twin Falls Police officers arrived at the scene and engaged Williams. The suspect died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Chief Hicks declined to identify the off-duty state trooper involved in the incident.