A trip to In-N-Out turned into a nightmare for customers and employees in Twin Falls, Idaho, on Saturday when a gunman opened fire at the drive-thru, leaving multiple people dead and several others injured. In the middle of the chaos, witnesses say an armed bystander may have kept the situation from becoming even worse.
Lane Koehn, 34, was sitting at a stoplight just outside the restaurant when he saw a man carrying an AR-style rifle come out of the drive-thru area. Bullets struck the car directly in front of him. Koehn told NBC News he watched the gunman move through the parking lot, seemingly unsure of where to go next.
That’s when another person in the drive-thru line pulled a handgun and began exchanging fire with the shooter. According to Koehn, that armed bystander’s actions pulled the gunman’s focus away from everyone else trying to flee. “The shooter was solely focused on him, and it allowed us to get out,” Koehn said, adding that the gunman’s car had been shot up too, buying more time for others to escape.
The shooter has been identified as 24-year-old Chad Williams, reported USA Today. Authorities say he died by suicide during the incident. A motive has not been released, and the investigation is still unfolding.
A Chaotic Scene Before Help Arrived
Koehn described pulling into a lot across from the restaurant and finding an employee dragging a coworker who’d been shot in the chest. The injured woman was in and out of consciousness while her coworker screamed for her to stay awake. A retired EMT happened to be nearby and stepped in to help before paramedics arrived. Once the ambulance showed up, Koehn said the crew got her out in what felt like seconds.
It’s the kind of detail that sticks with you. Regular people, none of them trained for this, doing what they could in a matter of minutes. That’s not a headline you plan for on a Saturday.
Multiple Agencies Now Involved in the Investigation
Twin Falls police are being assisted by the Twin Falls County Sheriff’s Office, along with police departments from Nampa, Caldwell, and Meridian, plus Idaho State Police.
The FBI has also set up a digital tip line so members of the public can submit photos, videos, or audio from the scene to help investigators piece together exactly what happened.
What We Still Don’t Know
At this point, officials haven’t confirmed whether the gunman is included in the overall death toll, and the full list of victims hasn’t been released. Three people were killed and five were injured.
As is often the case in the immediate aftermath of something like this, more details are expected to come out as the investigation continues.
For now, the takeaway from witnesses on the ground is simple: in a moment of panic, someone stepped up, and it may have made the difference for the people trying to get out safely.