A 24-year-old gunman killed three people and wounded seven others at an In-N-Out restaurant in Twin Falls, Idaho, before an armed civilian and an off-duty state trooper returned fire and forced him from the scene.
Chad Williams opened fire at the busy restaurant on Saturday afternoon, August 1, turning a weekend lunch rush into a scene of panic and carnage in the southern Idaho city roughly 120 miles southeast of Boise. Twin Falls Police Chief Matthew Hicks told reporters Sunday that Williams died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound and that investigators are confident he acted alone. The motive remains unknown.
Among the dead: Christopher Claunch, 59, and Ashley Garibay, 23, an In-N-Out employee. A third victim has not been publicly identified. Seven others were wounded. Two remained in critical condition as of Sunday, three were in stable condition, and two had been treated and released from St. Luke's Magic Valley Medical Center. Hicks cautioned that casualty numbers were preliminary.
The gunfire did not go unanswered. Jordan Salinas, 35, a civilian from nearby Kimberly, Idaho, drew his own weapon and returned fire at Williams. An off-duty Idaho state trooper, whose name has not been released, did the same. Fox News reported that Salinas engaged Williams with an FN Five-seveN semi-automatic pistol.
Hicks credited both men with preventing a far worse outcome.
"We believe their actions drove the suspect from the scene, preventing further casualties."
Twin Falls County Sheriff Jack Johnson was more blunt, telling Fox News: "These people are true heroes in our community. They diverted the shooter and without a doubt saved many lives."
Salinas later posted on Facebook thanking the public for its support and promising to share more of his story when he was able. He told the Idaho Statesman on Sunday morning that the gunman's behavior changed once he met resistance.
"He did not like it when bullets started firing both ways."
That single sentence carries a lesson gun-control advocates rarely want to hear. Williams stopped advancing and left the restaurant. Without Salinas and the trooper, the body count could have been far higher.
Austin "A.J." Scott James, a former law enforcement officer, also moved toward the danger. His father, Marcus James, told CBS News that Austin intentionally chose not to draw his own firearm because he feared police arriving on scene would mistake him for the attacker. He came face-to-face with Williams and was shot. He remained in critical condition as of Sunday.
Austin's wife and a friend, both emergency room nurses, treated him at the scene before he was rushed to a hospital. AP News reported that Austin had moved toward the shooting to protect others, a reflex consistent with his law enforcement background.
Braxton Stuebe, an employee at a Dick's Sporting Goods store near the In-N-Out, encountered Williams outside the store's back door after fleeing with a co-worker. In an interview with CBS affiliate KMVT, Stuebe described the moment he saw Williams's weapon.
"I saw the gun and I kind of just froze. I put my hands up and that's when he pointed the gun directly at me."
Stuebe said he tried to talk Williams down rather than run.
"I said, I have a family. I said, you don't have to do this. I'll tell you whatever you want. I'll do anything."
Williams appeared to waver. Stuebe described the gunman growing emotional before telling him, "just get away from me, man." As Stuebe backed away, Williams turned, drew a firearm from his hip, and fired a shot toward him. It missed.
Inside the Dick's Sporting Goods, the scene was chaos. Stuebe described a wave of five to ten people rushing into the store, with one woman screaming, "There's an active shooter," as she ran through the aisles.
The Twin Falls In-N-Out had welcomed its first customers on July 25, just one week before the shooting. The New York Post reported that the new location was one of the busiest restaurant spots in southern Idaho, drawing large crowds in its opening days.
Social media video obtained by CBS News showed people fleeing across a shopping center parking lot as multiple gunshots rang out. In one clip, a person carrying what appeared to be a firearm could be seen outside the restaurant opening the doors to a parked sedan.
Haley Dodaro, 43, was in the drive-thru line with her mother when the shooting started. She told The Associated Press by text message that she initially thought there might be a fire.
"So that's when we knew there was a shooting. People were running out crying and screaming. It was very scary."
Hicks described the aftermath in stark terms: "First responders faced what was described as one of the most chaotic instances a law enforcement officer can face in their career." He noted that hundreds of people were in the area at the time. Just The News reported Hicks also told the public, "We believe the threat to the community is over."
Ashley Garibay, 23, was working her shift when she was killed. In-N-Out President Lynsi Snyder confirmed the loss of an employee in a statement but did not name Garibay directly. A family representative later identified her to CBS News.
Snyder said Garibay had been "taking care of our most important asset, our Customers" at the time of the shooting, and added: "We will stand together, and we will do everything we can to learn from this situation."
Garibay's family issued their own statement:
"She was adventurous, outgoing, smart and driven, never letting obstacles get in her way. She lit up a room with her bright smile and a laugh that was contagious. She was a friend to all, and no matter what difficulties she was facing, she always found a way to help others find the light in the darkness."
Christopher Claunch, 59, was also killed. A relative confirmed his identity to CBS News. Garren Taylor, a friend of Claunch, told AP News: "He helped hundreds of people. He was just a gift to anyone he came in contact with."
Chad Williams, 24, enrolled at the College of Southern Idaho in August 2022 and left in December 2023 without graduating. The college confirmed to CBS News that he "did not graduate with a credential" and said it would cooperate with law enforcement.
AP News reported that investigators found no prior criminal record for Williams. Elijah Moseley, a former dormmate, told the outlet: "I was never scared or weirded out by him."
Hicks said Williams's family was cooperating with law enforcement and added a note of sympathy for them as well: "Their hearts are also broken." FBI agents were on scene assisting with the investigation. As of Monday, the motive remained a mystery.
Investigators have a dead gunman, a cooperating family, and, so far, no explanation. What they do have is a clear record of what happened when ordinary people refused to be helpless. Jordan Salinas and an off-duty trooper fired back. Austin James ran toward danger unarmed. Braxton Stuebe stood still and spoke to a killer. In a country that endlessly debates who should be allowed to carry a firearm, Twin Falls offered an answer written in real time: the people who were carrying one on Saturday afternoon saved lives.
