Suspect in shooting at Idaho fast-food restaurant died from
self-inflicted gunshot wound, police say
[August 03, 2026]
TWIN FALLS, Idaho (AP) — The suspect in a fatal shooting at a fast-food
restaurant in Idaho died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said
Sunday, crediting an off-duty officer and a citizen with firing shots
that diverted him.
Investigators are confident that the gunman, identified as 24-year-old
Chad Williams, acted alone during the shooting Saturday at an In-N-Out
location in Twin Falls, Police Chief Matthew Hicks said at a news
conference.
In all, four people died, including Williams, and seven others were
injured at the recently opened restaurant in the southern Idaho city of
about 56,000 people. Authorities said Sunday that two of the injured
were treated at a hospital and released, three were listed as stable,
and two were in critical condition.
Hicks said an off-duty state trooper and an armed citizen — whose
identities weren't immediately disclosed — both fired back and diverted
the gunman from the restaurant.
“We believe their actions helped drive the suspect away from the scene,
preventing further casualties,” the chief 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.”
Hicks said detectives are working to determine Williams' motives, and
said the suspect's family was cooperating fully with law enforcement.
Officials asked potential witnesses or anyone with information to
contact police.
The chief also warned of misinformation spreading online identifying a
different man as the shooter, saying that person had “no involvement in
this incident whatsoever.”
In-N-Out worker among the victims
One of those killed was an employee, the fast-food chain’s owner said.
“My heart is broken, my chest is heavy, my eyes burn from the tears I've
shed. We lost one of our beautiful Associates tonight,” In-N-Out owner
Lynsi Snyder said in a statement released early Sunday on social media.
“In-N-Out will be mourning with the families and praying for them as
they tread through a very painful season.”
The FBI on Sunday encouraged the public to submit images and videos
related to the shooting Saturday in Twin Falls that left seven other
people wounded, some critically.
The In-N-Out had opened just about a week earlier, on July 24, as part
of the California-based company’s recent expansion to Idaho.
Snyder did not identify the worker. Officials were still trying to
notify relatives of victims and so were not yet releasing the names,
ages or other details about the people hurt in the shooting, Twin Falls
spokesperson Josh Palmer said Saturday.
Police who responded to the shooting found the body of the suspected
gunman in an area near the restaurant, Palmer said.
Palmer said investigators were interviewing witnesses to the shooting.
The restaurant is in a busy shopping plaza, and hundreds of people were
in the area when it happened around 2 p.m.
[to top of second column]
|
This still image captured from video by a witness shows the scene of
a shooting that started at an In-N-Out Burger restaurant, Saturday,
Aug. 1, 2026 in Twin Falls, Idaho. (Kevin Bell Jr. via AP)
Witnesses describe chaotic scene
Lane Koehn, 34, said he was at a stoplight near the In-N-Out when he
saw a person with an AR-style rifle emerge from the drive-thru. A
man with a pistol started firing at the shooter.
He then saw someone in an In-N-Out uniform drag a person, also
wearing a uniform, bleeding from a gunshot wound to her chest across
the parking lot. The employee, Koehn and the man with the pistol
stayed until paramedics arrived for her.
“She was pretty bad off, but I don’t know. I hope she made it,”
Koehn said.
He said the shooter fired at least three or four rounds and it was
not clear whether or not anyone in particular was targeted.
Video taken by a driver from across the street captured a shooter,
who appeared to be dressed in black, walking up to a white car
carrying a long rifle, opening the driver-side door and popping the
trunk. The person then walked to the trunk and reached inside. At
that point the driver who shot the video left quickly, fearing that
the man might be getting more weapons.
Twin Falls resident Haley Dodaro, 43, and her mother went to
In-N-Out for lunch Saturday afternoon. While waiting in the
drive-thru line, they saw people running across the road and workers
bolting out of the restaurant. At first, Dodaro thought there might
have been a fire, but then a man directing traffic in a reflective
vest said 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 said in a text
message to The Associated Press.
Employee told people to get down
Nayeli Rodriguez, 40, of Burley, was inside waiting for food with
her daughters when she heard shots from the kitchen. An employee
said it was a shooting and told people to get down. Rodriguez said
an older man tried to protect her and her daughters, and they were
among the last to run outside.
“We were trying to get as far as we could and some angels let us in
their car,” Rodriguez said, also via text message. “I left my car
there in the parking lot.”
Twin Falls is about 130 miles (205 kilometers) southeast of Boise
and about 75 miles (120 kilometers) north of the Nevada border.
All contents © copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved |
