Tragedy at A new In N Out in Twin Falls: Three Killed, Seven Injured
Sandego.net – Saturday afternoon at A new In N Out in Twin Falls, Idaho, began like any other day at the popular burger chain. Workers in their signature red aprons and branded paper hats served customers in the bright, welcoming restaurant. Then a young man entered with a firearm and began shooting. Patrons screamed and dove from their tables as chaos erupted.
Some customers hid in the restrooms while workers rushed toward the exit. Outside, in a typical parking lot where people charged electric vehicles or waited in the drive-thru, a peaceful weekend transformed into something far more serious. The sound of gunfire echoed through the commercial district as people scrambled for safety.
Quick Facts About the Shooting
Three people lost their lives and seven others were wounded before the gunman, 24-year-old Chad Williams, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to officials. Twin Falls Police Chief Matthew Hicks stated that investigators believe Williams acted alone. An off-duty state trooper and a civilian both returned fire during the incident, actions that police credit with preventing further casualties.
“These people are true heroes in our community, and their actions diverted the shooter and no doubt saved many lives,” Twin Falls County Sheriff Jack Johnson said. A new In N Out had been open for only one week before becoming the site of this devastating event. The tragedy adds to a growing number of shootings this summer at food festivals, parades, and places of worship.
The Idaho incident represents one of at least 277 mass shootings in the United States this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive. The organization defines a mass shooting as an event where four or more people are shot. Among those killed was an In-N-Out employee, company owner and president Lynsi Snyder confirmed in a statement. She wrote that the shooter “took the precious lives of our Associate and Customers, innocent people who never saw it coming.”
Witnesses Share Their Stories
Twin Falls’ 911 dispatchers heard screaming in the background as they received calls reporting gunshots just before 2:30 p.m. local time. The shooting occurred in one of Twin Falls’ busiest commercial areas, a stretch on the city’s north side that includes hotels, national retailers, and restaurants serving both residents and travelers.
Twin Falls sits approximately 130 miles southeast of Boise and serves as a regional hub for southern Idaho. Taxi driver Terry Dudley had stopped between customer rides to charge his Tesla at A new In N Out when the shooting began. He was among those caught in the attack.
Dudley was sitting inside his car when the gunman opened fire, striking him twice in the back, his friend and coworker James Crow told CNN. Bleeding and panicked, Dudley called Crow and told him he had been shot. The two men have been friends for 10 years, Crow said.
They rarely let a day pass without talking, sharing a bond through one of Dudley’s favorite hobbies — motorcycling — and eventually becoming business partners through Crow’s taxi company. “He’s a larger-than-life kind of guy, just a big personality,” Crow said. “He’s boisterous, but he’s still like a very gentle soul, very kind, compassionate, loves to laugh. He wants to enjoy life, he’s tenacious, charismatic.”
Micheal Dudley had been sleeping after working a long overnight bartending shift when he woke up to an urgent phone call: His father had been shot. Dudley was widowed years ago and is a single father of four children, including Micheal, who told CNN his father suffered severe injuries and remains intubated after being emergency airlifted to a hospital. Crow started a GoFundMe to help cover Dudley’s medical costs and the long road of recovery ahead.
Dominic Gonzales was sitting in a car with his two younger brothers, waiting for his sister to come back from ordering their food, when he heard the first shots. “We were just sitting there, I was playing on my phone when I heard a couple pops and I look up and I see a gentleman walking from a white vehicle to another vehicle with a pistol in his hand,” Gonzales told CNN affiliate KMVT. The man fired a shot at a vehicle, he said.
“I told my two brothers to duck down,” Gonzales said. He kept glancing up to track where the gunman was, he said, then threw himself across the front of the car — “just to take up space so if anything did come flying I was there.”
“My heart is broken, my chest is heavy, my eyes burn from the tears I’ve shed,” Lynsi Snyder wrote in a statement on Instagram about the victims of the shooting.
FAQ: What You Need to Know
Who was the gunman in the Twin Falls shooting? The gunman was 24-year-old Chad Williams, who died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after the attack.
How many people were killed and injured? Three people were killed and seven others were injured in the shooting at A new In N Out.
When did the shooting occur? The shooting happened on Saturday afternoon, just before 2:30 p.m. local time.
Where is the Twin Falls In-N-Out located? The restaurant is located in one of Twin Falls’ busiest commercial areas on the city’s north side, approximately 130 miles southeast of Boise.
Was anyone else injured besides the victims? An off-duty state trooper and a civilian returned gunfire during the attack. Taxi driver Terry Dudley was shot twice in the back and remains hospitalized.
How long had the restaurant been open? A new In N Out in Twin Falls had been open for only one week before the shooting.
For more updates on this story, visit CNN’s coverage of the Twin Falls shooting.
