Three Dead, Seven Wounded in Idaho In-N-Out Shooting

Twin Falls police responded to reports of an active shooter at a newly opened In-N-Out Burger on Saturday afternoon, where gunfire left three people dead and seven others injured before the suspected gunman was found dead nearby.

The incident unfolded around 2 p.m. local time at the restaurant on Blue Lakes Boulevard North in a busy shopping plaza that draws hundreds on summer weekends. Officers arrived to find multiple victims inside and outside the building, with the scene described by Police Chief Matthew Hicks as chaotic and tragic. The gunman, an unidentified man, was located dead in an area near the restaurant, and authorities said the threat to the public had ended.

City spokesperson Josh Palmer noted that the casualty count could rise as investigators continue interviewing witnesses and notifying families. Some of the injured were reported in critical condition. The FBI is assisting local police in determining the shooter’s identity and motive, with further details expected in coming days.

Witness accounts painted a scene of sudden terror in an everyday setting. Nayeli Rodriguez, 40, was inside with her daughters when shots rang out from the kitchen area. An employee shouted warnings, and an older man shielded her family as they fled. Lane Koehn, 34, who was stopped at a nearby light, saw a person emerge from the drive-thru carrying an AR-style rifle. Another man with a pistol returned fire. Koehn later watched an In-N-Out employee drag a wounded colleague across the parking lot, the victim bleeding from a chest wound.

One of the fatalities was an In-N-Out associate, according to company president Lynsi Snyder. In a statement, Snyder described the loss of “one of our beautiful Associates” who was serving customers when the attack occurred. She called the gunman “a disgusting human who doesn’t value the lives of others or his own” and said the shooter had taken the lives of the worker and customers before ending his own.

The restaurant had opened only days earlier on July 24, adding to the sense of normalcy shattered in Twin Falls, a city of roughly 56,000 people southeast of Boise. The attack marks another entry in a year that has already seen more than 300 mass shootings across the United States, according to tracking data.

Police said they were still working to piece together the sequence of events, including how the gunman entered the dining area and why the violence spilled into the parking lot and surrounding streets. Roads were closed during the response, and shelter-in-place orders were later lifted. Officials emphasized that hundreds of potential witnesses were in the area and that the investigation would take time.

Snyder said the company would support affected employees and customers while mourning with the victims’ families. She urged people to seek comfort rather than anger in the aftermath. For now, investigators continue to gather evidence from the site and statements from those who survived the gunfire in what had been a routine Saturday afternoon at a fast-food restaurant.