In-N-Out Shooting: How Two Armed Citizens Stopped the Twin Falls Gunman
Last updated: August 7, 2026 · Originally published: August 6, 2026
The In-N-Out shooting in Twin Falls, Idaho on August 1, 2026 left three people dead and seven wounded — and law enforcement says it could have been far worse. When a gunman opened fire outside the popular burger restaurant just after 2:30 p.m., two armed citizens made a split-second decision that police credit with saving lives: they drew their own firearms and fought back.
Updated August 2026 · By James Nicholas
Before anything else, this remains a tragedy. Three innocent people were killed and families across three states are grieving. But the Twin Falls In-N-Out shooting is also a clear, documented example of what trained, lawfully armed citizens can do when seconds matter and police are still minutes away.
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Key Takeaways
- What happened: A gunman killed 3 and wounded 7 at the Twin Falls, Idaho In-N-Out on August 1, 2026.
- The suspect: Chad Williams, 24, acted alone and died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound; a motive is still under investigation.
- The turning point: A private citizen and an off-duty state trooper returned fire and drove the shooter away from fleeing customers.
- Official word: Police say those two men “no doubt saved many lives.”
- The backdrop: Idaho is a permitless constitutional carry state, where law-abiding adults can carry a concealed firearm without a permit.
What Happened at the Twin Falls In-N-Out
According to the Twin Falls Police Department, the attack began outside the restaurant on the city’s busy commercial corridor, roughly 120 miles southeast of Boise. Investigators say 24-year-old Chad Williams arrived and opened fire on customers in and around the drive-through lane.
Three people were killed: Ashley Garibay, 23, an In-N-Out employee working one of her first shifts; Dale Schultz, 66, of Salt Lake City; and Christopher Claunch, 59, of Hagerman, Idaho. Seven others were wounded. Police Chief Matthew Hicks said the suspect ultimately died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound and that investigators are “confident the suspect acted alone.”
What kept the death toll from climbing higher, police say, was the response of two men who happened to be nearby and happened to be armed.
The Armed Citizens Who Fought Back
Jordan Salinas, a 35-year-old from Kimberly, Idaho, was arriving with his girlfriend when he heard gunshots and saw people running. He drew his semi-automatic pistol and fired at the gunman near the drive-through window. A second man — an off-duty state trooper — also engaged the shooter. Witnesses described the two forcing the gunman to take cover behind the In-N-Out sign as rounds went both directions.
Salinas later told the Idaho Statesman that he had taken firearms training seriously ever since a 2021 mall shooting, in part because he wanted to be able to protect his wheelchair-dependent brother. Of the gunman, he said simply that the shooter “did not like it when bullets started firing both ways.”
Twin Falls County Sheriff Jack Johnson did not mince words: “I want to extend my deepest thanks to the off-duty trooper and the good citizen that engaged the shooter. These people are true heroes in our community, and their actions diverted the shooter, and no doubt saved many lives.” Chief Hicks added that their actions “helped drive the suspect away from the scene, preventing further casualties.”
“Their actions diverted the shooter, and no doubt saved many lives.”— Twin Falls County Sheriff Jack Johnson
What the In-N-Out Shooting Says About Armed Citizens
The Twin Falls In-N-Out shooting is a textbook example of what trained, lawfully armed citizens bring to a mass-shooting scene. Two men engaged a moving, determined attacker, drove him off his victims, and did it without hitting the fleeing customers around them — then held their fire and cooperated with responding officers.
It fits a broader pattern. FBI active-shooter data and independent research both show that a meaningful share of attacks are stopped or blunted by people on scene, and that armed citizens who intervene are frequently the reason an attacker breaks off. A gunman who expects unarmed targets behaves very differently once, in Salinas’s words, bullets start “firing both ways.”
None of that erases the loss in Twin Falls. It simply underscores why the right to carry a firearm is, for millions of Americans, a right to protect themselves and the strangers next to them. That is the Second Amendment in a single afternoon: when a killer chose a crowd of strangers, what stopped him was a fellow citizen who was armed and free to act.
Idaho’s Constitutional Carry Law Made the Response Legal
Idaho has been a permitless-carry state since 2016, meaning any law-abiding adult who can legally own a firearm may carry it concealed without first obtaining a permit. That legal framework is part of why an ordinary man arriving for lunch was lawfully armed and able to respond at all. We break down exactly how Idaho’s rules work — from carry age to where guns are still off-limits — in our guide to Idaho gun laws and constitutional carry.
Lessons for Everyday Armed Citizens
The men in Twin Falls did several things right that any carrier can learn from. They were carrying when it mattered, not leaving the gun at home. They had trained beyond the minimum. They maintained enough situational awareness to recognize the threat quickly. And they stopped shooting once the threat was neutralized.
If this story has you thinking seriously about carrying, start with the fundamentals: choose a firearm you will actually carry every day (see our picks for the best concealed carry handguns and best pocket pistols and micro-compact 9mms), understand how to survive and respond to an active shooter, and make sure you are covered on the legal side with the right CCW insurance. Our everyday concealed carry tips tie it all together.
Remembering the Victims
Ashley Garibay was days into a job she was excited about, remembered by her family for a laugh they called contagious. Dale Schultz and Christopher Claunch were husbands, fathers, and neighbors. Freedom’s Lodge extends its condolences to their families and to everyone injured in the attack. Honoring them means telling the whole truth about that afternoon — including the two men who ran toward the gunfire.
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where did the In-N-Out shooting happen?
The In-N-Out shooting took place on August 1, 2026, at the In-N-Out Burger in Twin Falls, Idaho, at approximately 2:30 p.m. local time.
How many people were killed in the Twin Falls In-N-Out shooting?
Three people were killed and seven were wounded. The suspect, 24-year-old Chad Williams, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Did an armed citizen stop the In-N-Out shooting?
Two armed men — a private citizen named Jordan Salinas and an off-duty Idaho state trooper — returned fire. Police say they drove the gunman away from victims and prevented further casualties.
Was the armed citizen carrying legally?
Idaho is a constitutional carry state, so a law-abiding adult may carry a concealed handgun without a permit. Police publicly thanked the citizen and the off-duty trooper as heroes.
More Second Amendment Coverage from Freedom’s Lodge
- Constitutional Carry States 2026: The Full List
- Idaho Gun Laws & Constitutional Carry, Explained
- Best Concealed Carry Handguns for 2026
- How to Survive an Active Shooter
- Second Amendment Controversies in 2026
About the Author — James Nicholas
James Nicholas is a firearms and Second Amendment writer for Freedom’s Lodge, covering concealed carry, gun rights, and self-defense for law-abiding Americans. He curates and compares gear, law, and news from manufacturer data, official sources, and the consensus of experienced shooters.
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