A gunman armed with an AR-style rifle opened fire at an In-N-Out Burger restaurant in Twin Falls, southern Idaho, on Saturday afternoon, leaving multiple people dead and several others injured, police said.
Police Chief Matthew Hicks confirmed the shooter was among those killed. According to The Sun, at least three people died and at least five others were injured. Officers were still attempting to determine the gunman's identity and motive.
'Very chaotic scene'
"We believe the threat to the community is over," Hicks told a press conference. "It was a very chaotic scene." He said he could not yet confirm the exact number of casualties or injured, as officers were still informing next of kin.
The shooting took place near a busy shopping district, with hundreds of people in the vicinity, Hicks said. Officers were interviewing witnesses and appealed for anyone with information to contact authorities.
Officials respond
Idaho Governor Brad Little posted on X: "Idahoans, join me in keeping the Twin Falls community in your prayers as law enforcement and first responders respond to an active shooter situation near In-N-Out." He added: "Please avoid the area and follow directions from law enforcement as they work to keep everyone safe."
St. Luke's Magic Valley spokesperson Taylor Marschner confirmed in a statement that the medical centre was "working closely with law enforcement and emergency responders as they manage the situation." City spokesperson Josh Palmer told NBC News he expected the number of injured to increase.
Witness accounts
Eyewitness Lane Koehn, 34, said he was stopped at a traffic light near the In-N-Out when he saw a person armed with an AR-style rifle emerge from the drive-thru. A man wielding a pistol then began firing at the shooter. Koehn said the gunman fired at least three or four rounds, with no clear indication of a specific target.
Koehn then saw a staff member in an In-N-Out uniform dragging a colleague across the car park. The colleague was bleeding from a gunshot wound to her chest. "She was pretty bad off, but I don't know. I hope she made it," he said.
Footage captured by a motorist showed a shooter dressed in black approaching a white car, opening the driver's side door and popping the boot. The person then moved to the boot and reached inside. The driver recording the incident quickly drove away, fearing the man might be retrieving more weapons.
'People were running out crying and screaming'
Haley Dodaro, 43, a Twin Falls resident, was waiting in the drive-thru with her mother when they noticed people running across the road and staff rushing out of the restaurant. She initially thought there might have been a fire, but a man directing traffic in a high-visibility vest told them 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.
Police advised the public to avoid the area as roads were sealed off. Twin Falls, home to roughly 56,000 residents, is located about 130 miles southeast of Boise and about 75 miles north of the Nevada border.
