Multiple People Dead After Shooting at In-N-Out Restaurant in Southern Idaho
BOISE, Idaho — A shooting at an In-N-Out Burger restaurant in southern Idaho on Saturday afternoon left multiple people dead and several others injured, according to police. Authorities say the incident unfolded near a busy shopping area in Twin Falls, where hundreds of people were present at the time.
Police Chief’s Statement
Twin Falls Police Chief Matthew Hicks confirmed during a news conference that the shooter was among those killed. He said investigators were still working to determine the shooter’s identity and the motive behind the attack. “We believe the threat to the community is over,” Hicks said. He added that officials did not yet have an exact count of how many people had been killed or wounded, as authorities were still in the process of notifying next of kin. He described the scene as “very chaotic.”
Ahead of the press conference, Twin Falls County Commissioner Brent Reinke said Sheriff Jack Johnson had informed him that five people were injured in the shooting.
An Eyewitness Account
Lane Koehn, 34, said he was stopped at a traffic light near the restaurant when he saw someone emerge from the drive-thru carrying an AR-style rifle. Almost immediately, a separate individual carrying a pistol began firing at the gunman.
Koehn then witnessed an In-N-Out employee dragging a fellow uniformed worker — a woman who had been shot in the chest and was bleeding heavily — across the parking lot. Koehn, along with the man who had fired the pistol, stayed with the employee and the wounded woman until paramedics arrived on scene. “She was pretty bad off, but I don’t know. I hope she made it,” Koehn said.
Koehn said police instructed him to leave the area, as the situation was still considered active at that point. He estimated that the gunman fired at least three or four rounds, though it remains unclear whether any specific person was being targeted.
Scene of the Shooting and Police Response
According to Chief Hicks, the shooting occurred near a busy commercial area where hundreds of people were present at the time. Police have been interviewing witnesses and are asking anyone with information about the incident to come forward and contact authorities.
Commissioner Reinke, a former director of the Idaho Department of Correction, said he learned of the shooting shortly before 4 p.m. and that multiple law enforcement agencies responded quickly to the scene.
Authorities advised residents to avoid the area and closed off nearby roads as the response continued.
Hospital Response
Taylor Marschner, a spokesperson for St. Luke’s Magic Valley medical center, said in a statement that the hospital was working closely with law enforcement and emergency responders to help manage the situation.
About Twin Falls
Twin Falls is a city of roughly 56,000 residents located about 130 miles southeast of Boise and approximately 75 miles north of the Nevada border. The city is generally regarded as a quiet community, and the shooting has left many local residents shaken.
Investigation Ongoing
Investigators are still working to establish exactly who the shooter was and what may have motivated the attack. Several details remain unclear, including whether the gunman was targeting a specific individual or group, or whether the shooting was random. Officials have cautioned that it would be premature to share further specifics until the investigation progresses and more information becomes available.
For now, the primary focus for authorities remains treating the injured, identifying those who died, and notifying their families. Multiple local and state agencies have become involved in the investigation, and additional details are expected to emerge in the coming days.
The shooting has reignited concerns about public safety at crowded gathering spots, particularly locations that see heavy foot traffic on any given day. In a relatively small and typically quiet city like Twin Falls, an act of violence on this scale has left both local residents and the broader state of Idaho shaken.
This is a developing and sensitive story. Confirmed details surrounding the incident may change as the investigation continues, and readers are encouraged to follow updates from official source.
