An armed bystander has been praised after distracting a lone gunman during a mass shooting at an In-N-Out Burger in Twin Falls, Idaho.
Three people were killed and seven others injured during the attack, but authorities say there may have been more casualties were it not for the actions of an armed bystander and an off-duty state trooper, who engaged the suspect by “returning gunfire towards him.”
“We believe their actions helped drive the suspect away from the scene, preventing further casualties,” Twin Falls Police Chief Matthew Hicks told NBC News.
Police said the suspected lone shooter, who was identified as 24-year-old Chad Williams, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound following the attack, which broke out just before 2.30pm local time on Saturday.
Authorities are working with the FBI to establish a possible motive for the shooting, but have urged anyone with information to come forward.
“At this time, we are still working to determine the full set of circumstances in this incident, including the suspect’s actions and possible motivations,” Hicks said. “The Williams family has been notified, and they are fully cooperating with law enforcement.
“Their hearts are also broken during this time.”
How the shooting unfolded
At a press conference Sunday, Hicks said 911 calls were made on Saturday afternoon reporting shots fired near the fast food restaurant on Blue Lakes Boulevard North.
“Dispatchers could hear screaming and reports of gunshots in the background,” he said.
Prior to police arriving on the scene, an off-duty state trooper and an armed bystander engaged the shooter in gunfire, which police said drew him away from the scene and prevented further casualties.
Officers, along with local, state, and federal law enforcement partners, responded to the calls, alongside The Twin Falls Fire Department and Magic Valley Paramedics, who provided aid and transported victims to the local hospital, police said.
“First responders faced what was described as one of the most chaotic instances a law enforcement officer can face in their career,” Hicks said.
The victims have not yet been named by the authorities, but In-N-Out has reported that one of their employees is among the deceased.
“My heart is broken, my chest is heavy, my eyes burn from the tears I’ve shed. We lost one of our beautiful Associates tonight,” In-N-Out president Lynsi Snyder said in a statement.
The body of the suspected gunman was found near the restaurant by officers who had responded to the shooting.
Police praise troop and bystander
Police praised the actions of both the off-duty state trooper and the armed bystander, who officials have not identified.
“We want to take a moment to commend the actions of the off-duty officer and the citizen in their heroic action to stop this incident — we believe their actions helped drive the suspect away from the scene preventing further casualties,” Hicks said.
Footage from the scene appears to have captured the moment the armed bystander began returning fire as the gunman walked around the parking lot armed with a rifle and looking inside a car.
Lane Koehn told local news station KTVB-TV that an individual with an AR-style rifle emerge from the drive-thru. He said a man armed with a pistol then started firing at the gunman. “The last I saw the kid, he was hiding behind the In-N-Out sign or the shooter, and he’s exchanging gunfire with this, this other person with his handgun in the drive-through,” Koehn told KTVB.
