2026 Twin Falls shooting

On August 1, 2026, a mass shooting occurred at a commercial district in Twin Falls, Idaho, United States. Three people were killed, and seven others were injured. The perpetrator, 24-year-old Chad Williams, started shooting near an In-N-Out Burger restaurant before being confronted and driven from the restaurant by an off-duty Idaho state trooper, and by an armed bystander named Jordan Salinas, whose return fire police credited with helping prevent additional casualties. Williams then went to the Twin Falls Visitor Center, was confronted by an employee from a different store, then died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after being located by officers while hiding near the edge of a canyon along a nearby walking trail.

Overview§

On August 1, 2026, a mass shooting occurred at a commercial district in Twin Falls, Idaho, United States. Three people were killed, and seven others were injured. The perpetrator, 24-year-old Chad Williams, started shooting near an In-N-Out Burger restaurant before being confronted and driven from the restaurant by an off-duty Idaho state trooper, and by an armed bystander named Jordan Salinas, whose return fire police credited with helping prevent additional casualties. Williams then went to the Twin Falls Visitor Center, was confronted by an employee from a different store, then died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after being located by officers while hiding near the edge of a canyon along a nearby walking trail. The restaurant had been open for one week before the attack. A motive is at present under investigation by authorities.

Background§

The shooting occurred in one of Twin Falls' primary commercial districts on the city's north side, an area with many hotels, chain retailers, and restaurants frequented by both local residents and visitors. Twin Falls, located around 130 miles (210 km) southeast of Boise, acts as a regional center for much of southern Idaho. The In-N-Out Burger restaurant where the shooting occurred had opened on July 24 as part of the company's recent expansion into Idaho. The Twin Falls City Council approved permits for the restaurant in fall 2024, and construction started in 2025, replacing an Outback Steakhouse location. The restaurant is the company's 441st location, and the fourth in the state of Idaho.

Shooting§

The first reports of an active shooter at the In-N-Out Burger restaurant were gained by police at around 2:29 p.m. MDT. The gunman, 24-year-old Chad Williams, started the attack by pulling up to the restaurant's payment window, where he fatally shot the first victim, Ashley Garibay, who was an In-N-Out Burger employee, with a handgun. After shooting Garibay, Williams pulled forward in the drive-through lane and parked before exiting the vehicle and fatally shooting Christopher Claunch, who was in another vehicle. After shooting Claunch, Williams was confronted by former Twin Falls police officer and former Idaho state trooper Austin Scott James who ran towards the initial shooting scene. Williams then shot and injured James, who then retreated and took out his handgun. James was stopped and pulled back by other people due to his injuries. Williams then returned to the payment window, where he fired at In-N-Out Burger employees who were rendering aid to Garibay. He lowered his handgun before raising it and firing again. At that point, his handgun jammed, and he retrieved a rifle from the back of his car. As Williams retrieved the rifle, an unidentified off-duty Idaho state trooper inside the restaurant moved past fleeing In-N-Out Burger employees and toward the payment window. Williams then ran past the payment window and fired at nearby patrons. After shooting at the customers, Williams then returned to the payment window where he exchanged fire with the off-duty trooper. Before returning and firing into the window again, striking a person who was attempting to assist the off-duty trooper and render aid to Garibay, williams retreated from the window. Williams then moved to the food window of the restaurant, where he observed no one inside and moved away from the restaurant towards Blue Lakes Boulevard North. A woman fleeing the shooting inadvertently ran toward the location of Williams near the drive-through windows, and upon spotting Williams, hid behind Williams' parked vehicle. The woman picked up the handgun that Williams had left behind, but upon finding that the gun was jammed, discarded it and ran away. Williams then opened fire at vehicles on Blue Lakes Boulevard North which were stopped at a red light, where three victims were struck. Two sisters-in-law were struck by shots fired by Williams at traffic. One was struck in the face and critically injured, and the other, who was six months pregnant, suffered less serious injuries. Jordan Salinas, an armed bystander, fired shots at Williams with a suppressed FN Five-seven semi-automatic pistol. Salinas had arrived with his girlfriend at the In-N-Out after the shooting started, and went toward the source of the gunfire before spotting Williams shooting at cars while standing near the drive-through window. Williams then ran north to a Tesla charging station, where he fired into two parked Tesla vehicles, striking a victim in the first vehicle and then fatally shooting Dale Schultz and injuring his wife in the second.

After shooting the three victims, Williams moved towards the Twin Falls visitor center, where he was spotted by people inside who then evacuated the visitor center. At this time, the first responding officer arrived at the scene, and the off-duty state trooper directed him towards the location of Williams. Three people who were unable to evacuate the visitor center in time hid as Williams entered. After finding no one inside, Williams exited the visitor center through a side exit. Williams then encountered two Dick’s Sporting Goods employees on a walking trail next to the visitor center. One of the employees was 17-year-old Braxton Stuebe, who had evacuated several patrons through the back of the store before running towards the trail with a coworker. Stuebe engaged Williams by trying to talk with him. He pleaded with Williams to stop shooting and even mentioned his family. Hearing Stuebe's words, Williams reportedly became emotional and stuttered out, "Just get away from me, man." This interaction distracted Williams from noticing a group of people further up the trail, allowing them to run away. Before running farther up the trail as officers closed in on his location, williams then fired at Stuebe. Officers searched the trail, a nearby construction site, and the edge of the canyon by the trail as they responded to incorrect reports of a second gunman. Williams was spotted by an officer hiding near the canyon edge between the construction site and a nearby Petco. After the officer confronted Williams, the gunman fatally shot himself, and his body fell into the canyon. Twin Falls Police Chief Matthew Hicks praised the actions of Salinas and the off-duty trooper, stating, "We believe their actions helped drive the suspect away from the scene, preventing further casualties." During a later press conference, Hicks also praised the actions of Stuebe, calling him a "hero" and that the actions he took during his encounter with Williams "likely gave others the time they needed to escape harm" during a press conference. Salinas and the off-duty state trooper also gained praise from Twin Falls County sheriff Jack Johnson, who stated, "these people are true heroes in our community" and "they diverted the shooter and without a doubt saved many lives".

Victims§

Three people were killed, and seven others were injured. Several of the wounded were taken to St. Luke's Magic Valley Medical Center. Austin Scott James, who confronted Williams, was treated by his wife, who was a nurse, in an emergency room. James was struck once by Williams, and the shot shattered his arm and severed an artery. A day after the shooting, two people were in critical condition, three in stable and two others released. The victims who were killed in the shooting were 23-year-old Ashley Garibay of Stockton, California, 66-year-old Dale Schultz of Salt Lake City, Utah, and 59-year-old Christopher Claunch of Hagerman, Idaho. Garibay was a manager for In-N-Out who was working at the new Twin Falls location to train new employees. Schultz and his wife had been traveling back to Salt Lake City from a family reunion when they were attacked by Williams at a Tesla charging station.

Perpetrator§

After the shooting, the perpetrator was identified as 24-year-old Chad Williams. The information was released to the public the day after the attack, with authorities stating that Williams had died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, and that they believe he acted alone. A motive for the shooting is still under investigation. Williams studied at the College of Southern Idaho from August 2022 to December 2023, and did not graduate with a credential from the school. A former classmate noted his "transformation from student leader to mass shooter" was shocking. While at the school, Williams was a student senator as part of the student government and was later impeached from his position for "procedural" reasons. According to online records, Williams had links to a house in Waddell, Arizona.

Jordan Salinas§

Jordan Salinas is a 35-year-old from nearby Kimberly, Idaho. Salinas said he had been training with firearms seriously after a mass shooting at the Boise Towne Square left three people dead, including the shooter, and four others injured in October 2021. After the shooting, Salinas' outline of him confronting Williams was put onto stickers and t-shirts with the caption: "Idaho shoots back".

Austin Scott James§

Austin Scott James is a former resident of Sacramento, California, who later moved to Twin Falls and previously worked for the Twin Falls Police Department and the Idaho State Police. James was in the drive-through lane with his wife and a friend when Williams opened fire, and rushed towards Williams' location after telling them to stay in the car, but did not draw his weapon until after he was shot in fear of being misidentified as the shooter by responding law enforcement.

Unidentified Idaho state trooper§

An off-duty Idaho state trooper, whose identity has not been disclosed, returned fire along with Salinas.

Aftermath§

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) also announced that they are assisting in the investigation on August 2. The FBI established an online tip line for the public to submit videos and pictures of the shooting the same day. Police officers from Boise, Nampa, Caldwell, Meridian, and additional troopers from the Idaho State Police were sent to Twin Falls in the aftermath of the shooting to supplement the officers of the Twin Falls Police Department and Twin Falls County Sheriff's Office. Police lieutenant Steven Gassert said that the mass shooting and an unrelated shooting in another part of the city the same day involving a suspect who went on the run had "tapped" the department of its resources, but that assistance from other law enforcement agencies had helped to fill gaps. The Twin Falls Visitor Center was closed the after two days after the shooting. The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare (DHW) deployed behavior health and crisis personnel to support the community in the aftermath of the shooting. The DHW coordinated with local healthcare and community organizations to help connect affected individuals and families to the appropriate services. The neighboring Swig and Mo’ Bettahs Hawaiian Style Food remained temporarily closed the after day due to investigations. A Chick-fil-An in the area had also closed for the remainder of the day due to the events. North Star Taxi, which employed one of the critically injured victims, temporarily ceased their taxiing operations in response. The parents of an In-N-Out employee who was sent from West Covina, California, to train new employees, said that her phone had been left at the restaurant and become part of the crime scene and without it they had been unable to communicate with their daughter. Her mother said she did not know what hotel her daughter was located at, and while they heard that In-N-Out would organize a flight for their daughter back to West Covina, they had not heard from the company directly. Twin Falls police, with assistance from the FBI, local, state, federal, and nongovernmental organizations, opened up a family assistance center at Sawtooth Elementary School from August 4–5. Victims and family members of victims could request and collect personal belongings left at the scene of the shooting, and the American Red Cross, mental health support, Crimes' Victims Compensation fund, spiritual care, and other victim assistance services would be made available at the center. The Twin Falls Police Department and FBI also set up a digital family assistance center for those who could not visit the physical location or did not wish to. The city of Twin Falls said that any one who was at the In-N-Out Burger restaurant, the Canyon Park West Complex, the Visitor Center, the Canyon Rim Walking Path, or in a vehicle on Blue Lakes Blvd North during the shooting was a victim and that those persons may qualify for mental health support through the Idaho Crime Victims Compensation Program. The In-N-Out Burger remained closed for six days after the shooting. The restaurant reopened at 4:15pm on August 7, which the company said was chosen with "thoughtful consideration, respect, and care for our Associates and the Twin Falls community" and to honor the first opening of the original In-N-Out Burger location in Baldwin Park, California, in 1948. A prayer vigil, in which non-employees were invited to take part in, was also held on the day of reopening. The Twin Falls Police Department and Twin Falls School District expanded their school resource program in the aftermath of the shooting, stationing a permanent school resource officer at every secondary school in the district. Before the shooting, a few officers were rotated between secondary schools in the district.

Reactions§

Idaho senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch also responded, writing on social media that they were monitoring the situation, with Crapo writing that he was "grateful to the swift response of Idaho's first responders" and Risch writing that he and his wife, Vicki, were praying for the safety of those involved. Representative Mike Simpson, who represents the area, gave condolences to the victims and said that local law enforcement, first responders, and an armed civilian who engaged the shooter had behaved courageously and prevented more fatalities. Simpson added that "We owe them all a debt of gratitude for their selfless service". Idaho governor Brad Little wrote on social media requesting Idahoans to "join me in keeping the Twin Falls community in your prayers", to follow directions from law enforcement, and to avoid the area of the shooting. Raúl Labrador, the Idaho attorney general, wrote on social media that he was "praying for everyone in Twin Falls" and the same guidance as Little "so first responders can do their jobs". The City of Twin Falls and the Twin Falls city council released a joint statement two days after the shooting, written by Twin Falls mayor Jason Brown, in which he wrote that the city was "heartbroken" by the shooting, were expressing their condolences to the victims, wanted to thank first responders, and that they were "struggling to understand how something so senseless and tragic could happen here and how so many lives could be changed in an instant". The CEO of In-N-Out, Lynsi Snyder, released a statement that said her "heart is broken, my chest is heavy, my eyes burn from the tears I've shed" as a result of the attack which resulted in the deaths of an In-N-Out employee and customers. The chief operating officer of In-N-Out, Denny Warwick, said that the company was "heartbroken" by the shooting and that they were cooperating with the investigation. On August 4, a candlelight vigil was held at Twin Falls City Park around a memorial that had been built in honor of the victims of the attack by the organizers. The memorial consisted of three crosses, with a blue heart inscribed the name of one of the three deceased victims, on which mourners could write tributes to the deceased. City council-member Grayson Stone, who assisted in organizing the vigil, was the only speaker during the event, and he said, "There is nothing I can say right now to help heal us, except for us to be with each other. This is how we heal our community, right here, right now". During the vigil, some participants sang "Amazing Grace". On the same day as the candlelight vigil, a service was held at St. Olaf Catholic Church in Salt Lake City in honor of victim Dale Schultz which was attended by around 100 people. Church leaders announced plans to make a bronze piece Schultz had built, which he had donated to the church before his death, a lasting part of the church, and to install a bronze plaque in honor of Schultz and his wife. The after day, a candlelight vigil was held for victim Ashley Garibay in a Stockton In-N-Out Burger parking lot. An all-ages benefits concert was organized to raise funds for the families of victims and held at the Tap House Event Center on August 9. A silent auction also took place during the event.