Multiple people reportedly died, and two others were injured in what police described as an “active shooter incident” around an In-N-Out Burger and other businesses in Twin Falls, Idaho, on Saturday, a city spokesperson said.
The shooter was among the dead, Twin Falls Police Chief Matthew Hicks said in a news conference. Police were still trying to determine the shooter’s identity and motive.
The Twin Falls Police Department said on social media shortly after 3 pm that they were responding to an “active shooter incident” at or near an In-N-Out Burger on Blue Lakes Boulevard North.
City, county and state authorities responded to an active shooter report about 2:30 pm, Twin Falls spokesperson Josh Palmer was quoted by NBC News as saying.
Meanwhile, the FBI Salt Lake City posted on X, "We are aware of an incident in Twin Falls, Idaho and responding to assist our law enforcement partners."
A purported video appeared to show an armed person firing a handgun during the active shooting in Twin Falls, Idaho.
Mint could not verify the authenticity of the video.
"At least two people were injured in the violence," Palmer said. The shooter is deceased, he added, and all shelter-in-place orders have been lifted.
Before the news conference, Twin Falls County Commissioner Brent Reinke said Sheriff Jack Johnson had told him five people were hurt.
“We believe the threat to the community is over,” Hicks was quoted by the Associated Press as saying. He added that he did not yet know exactly how many were killed or wounded, and officials were still in the process of notifying next of kin. “It was a very chaotic scene.”
Regarding those injured, Palmer told NBC News, “We expect that number to increase.”
Lane Koehn, 34, told AP that 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.
The shooting took place near a busy shopping area and hundreds of people were there at the time, Hicks said. Police where interviewing witnesses and asked for anyone with information to contact authorities.
Reinke, who is also former prison chief for the Idaho Department of Corrections, said he learned of the incident just before 4 p.m. and multiple agencies responded.
A shelter-in-place order for the area was lifted, and roads were being reopened as the shooting investigation continued, Palmer said.
People were being bused to the Twin Falls County Courthouse, where they’re being asked to give their accounts of what they witnessed, he said.
Police advised people to stay away from the restaurant, which is in an area with multiple major retailers and a movie theater complex.
A nearby Chick-fil-A said it was closing Saturday as a precaution.
“Out of an abundance of caution, Chick-fil-A Twin Falls will be closed for the remainder of today,” the restaurant said.
Magic Valley Mall nearby was closed and people inside were told to stay put, according to a public safety employee there.
“We are currently in a lockdown,” he said. “There has been a mass shooting.”
The In-N-Out location, the fourth in Idaho, opened July 24, according to a news release from the California-based chain.
“I urge locals and visitors to obey all directions from law enforcement, avoid the area, and report any suspicious activity immediately,” said Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo on X. “I’m grateful for the swift response of Idaho’s first responders,” he added.
“My team is closely monitoring the situation as more information becomes available from the Twin Falls Police Department,” wrote Idaho Rep. Mike Simpson.
(With inputs from NBC reports)
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