Three people were killed and seven more were injured, some critically, in a shooting at an In-N-Out Burger restaurant in Twin Falls, Idaho, on Saturday afternoon, according to Josh Palmer, the city's public information officer. Police responding to the scene found the body of the suspected gunman near the restaurant, but Palmer said he did not know if the suspect was included in the fatality count.
Chaotic scene near busy shopping area
Police chief Matthew Hicks described the incident as a "very chaotic scene" and said officers were working to determine the shooter's identity and motive while interviewing witnesses. "We believe the threat to the community is over," Hicks said. The restaurant, which had recently opened on 24 July, is located in a busy shopping plaza, and hundreds of people were in the area when the shooting started around 2pm.
Nayeli Rodriguez, 40, of Burley, was inside with her daughters when she heard shots from the kitchen. An employee shouted that there 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," she said. "I left my car there in the parking lot."
Witnesses describe the attack
Lane Koehn, 34, 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, and Koehn then saw an employee in an In-N-Out uniform drag another uniformed worker, bleeding from a gunshot wound in her chest, across the parking lot. Koehn and the man with the pistol stayed until paramedics arrived. "She was pretty bad off, but I don't know. I hope she made it," Koehn said. He added that police told him to evacuate because the shooting was still active, and that the shooter fired at least three or four rounds, with no clear indication of a specific target.
Video captured by a driver across the street showed a shooter dressed in black walking up to a white car with a long rifle, opening the driver-side door and the trunk, then reaching inside. The driver who recorded the video left quickly, fearing the man might be getting more weapons.
Community in shock
Twin Falls resident Haley Dodaro, 43, and her mother were waiting in the drive-thru line when they saw people running across the road and workers bolting out of the restaurant. A man directing traffic in a reflective vest said there was a shooter. "People were running out crying and screaming. It was very scary," Dodaro said.
Police said multiple people were taken to St Luke's Magic Valley Medical Center. Hospital spokesperson Taylor Marschner said in a statement that the facility was "working closely with law enforcement and emergency responders as they manage the situation." Officials were contacting family members of victims and had not yet released names, ages, or other details about those injured, Palmer said on Saturday night.
Twin Falls, a city of about 56,000 people, is approximately 130 miles (205km) south-east of Boise and about 75 miles (120km) north of the Nevada border. The In-N-Out restaurant was part of the company's recent expansion into Idaho, having opened just days before the shooting.
