TWIN FALLS, Idaho — Three people confronted a gunman during a deadly shooting outside an In-N-Out Burger, including an off-duty state trooper, a former law enforcement officer and an armed civilian, actions officials said helped prevent further casualties.
The off-duty trooper and civilian returned fire, while the former officer came face-to-face with the gunman and was critically wounded, Twin Falls Police said.
The Aug. 1 attack began when Chad Williams, 24, opened fire outside the restaurant. Lane Koehn, who witnessed part of the incident while stopped nearby, told NBC News that the intervention distracted Williams and gave people time to escape.
| RELATED: Choose the right real-time policing model for your agency
Koehn described the shooter as “panicked,” as he moved around the outside of the restaurant.
“The shooter was solely focused on him, and [it] allowed us to get out,” Koehn told NBC. “I mean, the car directly ahead of me was getting shot — it gave them time to leave.”
One of the people who confronted the shooter was Austin James, a former Twin Falls police officer and Idaho State Police trooper, his family told the Sacramento Bee. Although James was armed, he did not draw his weapon because he did not want responding officers to mistake him for the gunman.
“As Austin rounded the corner to assess the situation, he came face-to-face with the gunman. The suspect raised a rifle and shot Austin. The bullet shattered his humerus and severed an artery, causing life-threatening injuries,” his family said in a fundraiser.
James was critically wounded and faces additional surgeries and a lengthy recovery, his family said.
Twin Falls Police Chief Matthew Hicks stated that an armed civilian and an off-duty trooper helped to stop the shooter.
“We believe their actions helped drive the suspect away from the scene, preventing further casualties,” Hicks said. “We want to take a moment and commend the actions of the off-duty officer and the citizen, and their heroic action to stop this incident.”
Idaho State Police Col. Gardiner also praised the trooper’s response, saying his training and commitment prepared him to act within seconds.
“Yesterday, although off duty, our trooper made the conscious decision to move toward danger while others ran from it. Years of training, experience, discipline, and commitment were compressed into a matter of seconds. Faced with an active threat, he willingly put himself in harm’s way to protect others. In doing so, he undoubtedly helped save lives,” Gardiner said.
Hicks did not identify the armed civilian or off-duty trooper who shot at the shooter. But local sources confirmed to the Idaho Statesman that the armed bystander was Jordan Salinas.
Salinas told the Statesman that he began firearm training following a 2021 shooting at a Boise Mall that killed two. He began training weekly in shooting and tactical responses.
When he and his girlfriend approached the In-N-Out, Salinas heard gunshots and ran toward them “automatically,” he told the Statesman. Salinas was armed with an FN Five-Seven and began shooting at the gunman.
“He did not like it when bullets started firing both ways,” Salinas recalled.
The Twin Falls Police Department stated that an officer-involved shooting occurred when on-duty officers arrived at the scene. The gunman died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, NBC reported.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect that there was an off-duty state trooper, a former officer and an armed bystander who confronted the shooter.
