Mass Shooting at In-N-Out in Twin Falls, Idaho Leaves Three Dead, Seven Injured

At least three people were killed and seven others were injured in a mass shooting at an In-N-Out in Twin Falls, Idaho, on Saturday, according to police and local officials.

The suspected shooter — an unidentified male — is dead, Twin Falls Police Chief Matthew Hicks said at a press conference. He described the scene as “tragic” and “chaotic.” Joshua Palmer, a city spokesperson, told The Independent that the number of victims is expected to rise. “We want to emphasize that that number may change,” Palmer said. “That was just the first number we got.”

An “active shooter incident” was first reported at 4:29 p.m. ET at the In-N-Out on Blue Lakes Boulevard North. Police urged people to avoid the area, saying roads nearby would be closed as officers responded. Shelter-in-place orders have since been lifted, Palmer said.

Soon after, police urged people to avoid the area as officers responded to the scene. Videos circulating on social media appear to show multiple men with firearms outside the restaurant. A city official told The Independent shortly before 8 p.m. that three people had died and two more were injured, noting that these figures were likely to change. He said the threat was neutralized. Soon after, Twin Falls Police Chief Matthew Hicks announced in a press conference that the shooter — an unidentified male — had died.

Hicks said the FBI is assisting the investigation, adding that information about the suspect and his motivations are expected to be revealed in the coming days. Hicks said that an investigation is currently underway to determine the shooter’s identity and motivation, and that victims’ next of kin are being notified. The FBI is assisting, he said. More information is expected in the coming hours and days, Hicks said.

Police were still trying to determine the shooter's identity and motive, Twin Falls Police Chief Matthew Hicks said in a news conference earlier Saturday. “We believe the threat to the community is over,” Hicks said. “It was a very chaotic scene.” Twin Falls city public information officer Josh Palmer said investigators were still interviewing witnesses to the shooting. Police who responded to the shooting found the body of the suspected gunman in an area near the restaurant, Twin Falls city public information officer Josh Palmer said. He did not know if the suspect was included in the fatality count. Officials were still working on notifying the family members of victims and so were not yet releasing the names, ages or other details about the people hurt in the shooting, Palmer said. Some of the people injured are in critical condition, Palmer said. The FBI’s Salt Lake City office said in a statement: “We are aware of an incident in Twin Falls, Idaho and responding to assist our law enforcement partners.” The Twin Falls Police Department issued a lengthy update at about 9:30 p.m. ET. Police said that “multiple individuals” had been transported to a hospital and that “there have been fatalities.” They did not provide an exact number, saying they are “currently working to notify next of kin.” Police also again confirmed that the suspect is deceased. “There is a lot of misinformation going around on social media about the shooter and their identity,” the department added. “We would ask that people refrain from sharing information in an attempt to not share [misinformation].” The area around the In-N-Out in Twin Falls remains closed as officials work to “secure and process the scene.”

The In-N-Out branch in Twin Falls that became the scene of Saturday's shooting opened just about a week earlier, on July 24, as part of the company’s recent expansion to Idaho. “We are heartbroken,” California-based In-N-Out's chief operating officer Denny Warnick said in a statement Saturday. “Our prayers go out to our Customers, our Associates, and all of their families. We are working with the Twin Falls Police Department to assist in the on-going investigation." The In-N-Out in Twin Falls had only been open for one week before the mass shooting took place there on Saturday, CNN reported. An In-N-Out executive told NBC News he was “heartbroken” by the shooting.

Twin Falls resident Haley Dodaro, 43, and her mother went to In-N-Out for lunch Saturday afternoon. While waiting in the drive-thru line, they saw people running across the road and workers bolting out of the restaurant. At first Dodaro thought there might have been a fire, but then a man directing traffic in a reflective vest said there was a shooter. “So that’s when we knew there was a shooting. People were running out crying and screaming. It was very scary,” Dodaro told The Associated Press. Nayeli Rodriguez, 40, of Burley, was inside waiting for food with her daughters when she heard shots from the kitchen. An employee said it was a shooting and told people to get down. Rodriguez said an older man tried to protect her and her daughters, and they were among the last to run outside. “We were trying to get as far as we could and some angels let us in their car,” Rodriguez said. “I left my car there in the parking lot.”

Video taken by a driver from across the street captured a shooter, who appeared to be dressed in black, walking up to a white car carrying a long rifle, opening the driver-side door and popping the trunk. The person then walked to the trunk and reached inside. At that point the driver who shot the video left quickly, fearing that the man might be getting more weapons.

Twin Falls, a city of about 56,000 people, is located roughly 130 miles southeast of Boise. Twin Falls, a city of about 56,000 people, is about 130 miles (205km) southeast of Boise and about 75 miles (120km) north of the Nevada border. There have been over 300 mass shootings in the U.S. this year, according to the Mass Shooter Tracker.

Rep. Russ Fulcher, an Idaho Republican, said he is “closely monitoring the situation.” “I am disheartened to learn of the senseless loss of life,” he wrote on X on Saturday evening. “Please join me in praying for the victims' families, the surrounding community, our brave law enforcement officers and first responders on scene, and all those affected by this tragedy.”