The Armed Civilian Who Helped Stop the Idaho In-N-Out Gunman Is Finally Identified — Police Say He 'Without a Doubt Saved Many Lives'

Twenty-four-year-old Chad Williams turned a routine Saturday lunch rush into a bloodbath. But two men refused to let him keep firing.

Three people are dead, and seven more are recovering after a gunman opened fire outside a brand-new In-N-Out Burger in Twin Falls, Idaho, on August 1, 2026. As chaos spread through the parking lot, two armed men — one an off-duty state trooper, the other a civilian bystander — turned around and fired back.

Police say their split-second decision changed everything. Now, one of those men has stepped forward, and his account of those "two or three minutes" reveals a level of preparation nobody expected.

Terrified Diners Scramble for Cover as Gunfire Shatters a Busy Lunch Rush

The Twin Falls In-N-Out had been open for barely a week when the shooting began just before 2:30 p.m., according to Twin Falls Police Chief Matthew Hicks. Dispatchers reportedly could hear screaming in the background as calls poured in.

Workers in their red aprons scrambled out the front door. Customers dove from their seats, and some barricaded themselves inside the restrooms as gunfire tore through the parking lot.

Dominic Gonzales was sitting in a car with his two younger brothers when the first shots rang out. He told CNN affiliate KMVT he saw a man walk from one vehicle to another with a pistol and fire directly into it, and he told his brothers to duck.

His sister, Jaylyn Sanchez, had just stepped into the restroom when the shooting began. When she was told it was safe to leave, she ran straight into the gunman's path, later saying he pointed his weapon at her before she ducked behind a parked car for cover.

An Unnamed Driver Captures the Moment an Armed Bystander Returns Fire

Eddie Lane Koehn was stopped at a red light just outside the restaurant when the shooting started right in front of him. In a local news interview, he described watching someone fire into a car only 30 to 40 feet away, using what looked like a semi-automatic rifle.

Then Koehn saw something else: a man in the drive-through line raising a handgun and firing back at the shooter. The two exchanged gunfire as they ducked behind the restaurant's signage, both trying to dodge bullets.

Koehn believes that the armed bystander bought the crowd critical time. "I could tell he was trying to figure out where to go, and somebody in the drive-thru line with a handgun was shooting at him," he told NBC News.

Traumatized Witnesses Scramble to Help Victims as the Shooter Reloads

The gunman didn't stop after the first exchange. Koehn said he unloaded entire magazines at a time, reloading and firing into parked vehicles without any apparent pattern.

Taxi driver Terry Dudley was shot twice in the back while charging his Tesla near the restaurant, according to his coworker James Crow. Dudley's son Michael later said his father remains intubated after being airlifted to a hospital, though he's showing signs of improvement.

An In-N-Out employee was also shot in the chest. Koehn watched a coworker drag her toward the sidewalk while screaming her name, trying to keep her conscious until paramedics arrived.

That employee was later confirmed among the three people killed. In-N-Out President Lynsi Snyder wrote on Instagram that her associate "was taking care of our most important asset — our Customers, and her life was taken by a disgusting human who doesn't value the lives of others or his own."

The gunman eventually fled toward the visitor center bordering the property, still firing as he ran. He was later identified as 24-year-old Chad Williams, and police confirmed he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound before officers reached him.

Police Commend the Heroic Responders for Diverting Additional Casualties

At a Sunday news conference, Hicks confirmed what witnesses like Koehn had described: an off-duty state trooper and an armed civilian both engaged Williams and returned fire during the attack, according to CBS News.

"We believe their actions drove the suspect from the scene, preventing further casualties," Hicks said.

Twin Falls County Sheriff Jack Johnson went further, crediting the pair with keeping the death toll from climbing even higher. "These people are true heroes in our community. They diverted the shooter and without a doubt saved many lives," Johnson said, according to the Idaho Statesman.

For a full day, officials declined to name either man. Then one of them decided to speak for himself.

The Mystery Protector Emerges as a Devoted Local Healthcare Worker

The civilian who fired back has been identified as Jordan Salinas, a 35-year-old healthcare worker from Kimberly, Idaho. He'd stopped at the In-N-Out for lunch with his girlfriend on their way to a weekend of horseback riding in Hagerman, expecting a quiet Saturday, not a mass shooting.

Salinas is the full-time caregiver for his wheelchair-bound brother, and that role shaped his decision to start carrying and training with a firearm. He began after the 2021 Boise Towne Square mall shooting, reasoning that a person in a wheelchair and their caregiver would make an easy target for anyone looking for what he called a "soft target."

He trained every weekend in the desert outside Eden, a small town in Jerome County, drilling a four-step military framework — observe, orient, decide, act — even though he never expected to use it.

On Saturday, he did. Salinas drew his FN Five-Seven pistol, moved toward the gunfire, and located Williams by the drive-through window before firing.

Tactical Desert Training Prepares a Quiet Hero for a Deadly Encounter

Salinas said he felt "no fear" throughout the encounter, focusing instead on the steps he'd rehearsed for years. His entire exchange with Williams lasted only two or three minutes before the gunman fled toward the visitor center.

"There's a task that needs to be done, and we're the ones who need to do it," he said afterward.

Police have not officially confirmed Salinas by name, and both the Twin Falls Police Department and city spokespeople declined to comment when asked directly. His girlfriend, however, confirmed his role in confronting the shooter.

Grateful Local Residents and Online Fans Rally Around the Heroic Caregiver

By Sunday, Salinas had become something of a local legend. His usual coffee shop gave him free drinks, and strangers stopped to shake his hand throughout the day.

Memes featuring his silhouette against a Gadsden flag began circulating online, captioned "Idaho shoots back." One friend told him people were buying up ammunition at local sporting goods stores in response to the video of him returning fire.

Viewers who watched Koehn's account online had similar reactions. "Hats off to the citizen carrying who saved untold number of lives," one commenter wrote. Another online user added, "As with every shooting .. horrible."

Despite the praise, Salinas seemed unsettled by what the day had proven. "Everyone says, 'It's not going to happen here,'" he said. "But what if it does?"

Federal Agents and Regional Police Swarm the Active Investigation

Authorities say they're confident Williams acted alone, though his motive is still under investigation. Hicks said Williams' family is cooperating with police, adding that "their hearts are also broken during this time."

The FBI has deployed evidence response teams and victim services specialists to Twin Falls and opened a digital tip line for anyone with photos, video, or audio from the shooting. Officers from the Meridian, Caldwell, and Nampa police departments have also been sworn in to help patrol the city while the investigation continues, according to Fox News.

Of the seven people wounded, two have been released from the hospital, three remain in stable condition, and two are still listed as critical.

It's the second time in just over a year that gun violence has shaken the region — in June 2025, two firefighters were killed in an ambush while responding to a brush fire near Coeur d'Alene.