Investigators are working to determine the motive behind a shooting that occurred Saturday at an In-N-Out Burger in Twin Falls, Idaho, leaving three people dead and seven injured. The suspected gunman, identified as 24-year-old Chad Williams, died by suicide following the attack.
Twin Falls Police Chief Matthew Hicks stated Sunday that authorities are confident Williams acted alone. The gunman's family is cooperating with the investigation. An off-duty state trooper and a civilian engaged the shooter, diverting him from the restaurant, according to Hicks. The identities of the trooper, the civilian, and the victims have not yet been released as police work to notify next of kin.
Of the seven individuals wounded, two have been treated and released from the hospital. Three others were reported in stable condition, while two remained in critical condition as of Sunday. An employee of the In-N-Out Burger was among those killed, according to a statement from Lynsi Snyder, owner of the fast-food chain. The employee's name was not disclosed.
The restaurant, which had recently opened on July 24 as part of the California chain's expansion into Idaho, is situated in a busy shopping plaza. Hundreds of people were in the vicinity when the shooting took place.
Witnesses reported hearing shots fired from the kitchen area. One witness, Lane Koehn, 34, observed an individual armed with an AR-style rifle emerge from the drive-thru, followed by a man with a pistol who then fired at the shooter. Koehn also described seeing an In-N-Out employee dragging another uniformed individual, who was bleeding from a chest wound, across the parking lot. The employee, Koehn, and the man with the pistol remained at the scene until paramedics arrived.
Another witness, Nayeli Rodriguez, 40, was inside the restaurant with her daughters when the shots rang out. An employee alerted patrons to the shooting and urged them to take cover. Rodriguez recounted an older man shielding her and her daughters as they fled the restaurant, leaving her car behind in the parking lot. Video footage captured a person appearing to be dressed in black walking toward a white car with a long rifle, opening the trunk, and reaching inside, prompting the videographer to leave the area out of concern the individual might be retrieving more weapons.