In-N-Out shooting in Idaho leaves 3 dead, 7 injured
Officials give update on In-N-Out shooting in Twin Falls, Idaho
On Saturday, Idaho officials held a media briefing to provide the latest update following a deadly shooting at an In-N-Out restaurant in Twin Falls, Idaho. Police confirmed there were multiple fatalities but have not released the total number of deaths.
BOISE, Idaho - Three people were killed and seven others were injured, several of them critically, in a shooting at an In-N-Out Burger in southern Idaho on Saturday afternoon, according to a spokesperson for the city of Twin Falls.
What we know:
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.
What we don't know:
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.
What they're saying:
"We believe the threat to the community is over," Hicks said. "It was a very chaotic scene."
Palmer said investigators were still interviewing witnesses to the shooting. The restaurant is in a busy shopping plaza, and hundreds of people were in the area when it happened around 2 p.m.
Local perspective:
Lane Koehn, 34, said he was at a stoplight near the In-N-Out when he saw a person with an AR-style rifle emerge from the drive-thru. A man with a pistol started firing at the shooter.
He then saw someone in an In-N-Out uniform drag a person, also uniformed, bleeding from a gunshot wound in her chest across the parking lot. The employee, Koehn and the man with the pistol stayed until paramedics arrived for her.
"She was pretty bad off, but I don’t know. I hope she made it," Koehn said.
Koehn said he was told by police to evacuate because the shooting was still active.
He also said the shooter fired at least three or four rounds and it was not clear whether or not anyone in particular was targeted.
Dig deeper:
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.
The In-N-Out opened just about a week earlier, on July 24, as part of the company’s recent expansion to Idaho.
Police said multiple people were taken to St. Luke's Magic Valley Medical Center. Hospital spokesperson Taylor Marschner said in a statement that it was "working closely with law enforcement and emergency responders as they manage the situation."
Twin Falls, a city of about 56,000 people, is about 130 miles (205 kilometers) southeast of Boise and about 75 miles (120 kilometers) north of the Nevada border.
The Source: The Associated Press contributed to this report. This story is based on reporting from The Associated Press, with information provided by the Twin Falls Police Department, Twin Falls city public information officer Josh Palmer, Twin Falls Police Chief Matthew Hicks, St. Luke's Magic Valley Medical Center, and eyewitness accounts from people at the scene, including Lane Koehn, Haley Dodaro and Nayeli Rodriguez. This story was reported from Los Angeles.