A gunman opened fire with an AR-style rifle at an In-N-Out Burger restaurant in Twin Falls, southern Idaho, on Saturday afternoon, leaving multiple people dead and several others injured, police confirmed. The gunman was among those killed.
Police: Threat to community over
Twin Falls Police Chief Matthew Hicks confirmed the gunman was among those killed at a press conference and said officers were still working to establish the shooter's identity and motive. "We believe the threat to the community is over," Hicks said. He added that he did not yet know precisely how many were killed or wounded, and that officials were still in the process of notifying next of kin. "It was a very chaotic scene."
Casualties and official response
According to reports, at least three people lost their lives in the attack and at least five were injured. City spokesperson Josh Palmer told NBC News he anticipates that number of injured to increase.
Idaho Governor Brad Little wrote 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. Please avoid the area and follow directions from law enforcement as they work to keep everyone safe."
Eyewitness account
Eyewitness Lane Koehn, 34, said he was stopped at traffic lights near the In-N-Out when he spotted an individual armed with an AR-style rifle emerging from the drive-thru. A man carrying a pistol then opened fire on the shooter. Koehn then saw a member of staff wearing an In-N-Out uniform dragging a colleague, also in uniform, who was bleeding from a gunshot wound to her chest, across the car park. The employee, Koehn and the armed individual remained at the scene until paramedics arrived to treat her. "She was pretty bad off, but I don't know. I hope she made it," Koehn said.
Koehn said police told him to vacate the area as the shooting was still in progress. He said the gunman discharged at least three or four rounds, with no clear indication whether anyone specific had been targeted.
Video shows shooter near vehicle
Video footage captured by a motorist from across the street showed a shooter, seemingly dressed in black, approaching a white vehicle while carrying a long rifle, opening the driver's door and releasing the boot. The person then moved towards the boot and reached inside. At that point, the driver recording the scene departed quickly, concerned the individual might be retrieving further weapons.
Witnesses describe panic
Twin Falls resident Haley Dodaro, 43, and her mother were waiting in the drive-thru queue at In-N-Out for lunch on Saturday afternoon when they saw people running across the street and staff hurrying out of the restaurant. At first, Dodaro thought there might have been a fire, but an individual 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 to The Associated Press.
Investigation ongoing
The shooting took place near a busy shopping district, where hundreds of people were present at the time, Hicks confirmed. Officers were speaking to witnesses and urged anyone with information to contact the authorities. Police asked members of the public to avoid the area as roads were closed off.
Reinke, a former prison chief for the Idaho Department of Corrections, said he was notified of the incident just before 4pm, with several agencies responding to the scene. 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."
Twin Falls, a city of approximately 56,000 residents, is located around 130 miles (205 kilometres) southeast of Boise and roughly 75 miles (120 kilometres) north of the Nevada border.
