Twin Falls In-N-Out Reopens 1 Week After Shooting Killed 3 and Injured 7

Q: How did a jammed handgun and the sudden bravery of ordinary bystanders prevent an even greater tragedy at this Idaho restaurant?

A weapon malfunction and several split-second interventions by bystanders appear to have kept the Twin Falls shooting from becoming deadlier. Investigators said Chad Williams initially used a handgun at the In-N-Out drive-thru, where surveillance video showed him firing repeatedly, including at employee Ashley Garibay at the window. Police later said that handgun jammed. That interruption mattered because it forced Williams to break off, move, and return with a rifle rather than continue firing uninterrupted in a crowded restaurant and drive-thru line. That delay gave employees, customers and others precious time to react. Authorities credited an off-duty Idaho State Police trooper inside the restaurant and an armed civilian outside with returning fire and drawing Williams’ attention away from people trying to flee. Witnesses said the gunman became focused on the armed bystander, allowing cars and people nearby to get out. Police also praised former officer A.J. James, who confronted Williams and was wounded, and Braxton Steube, a nearby store employee who encountered the gunman on a trail after fleeing. According to police, Steube distracted him at a critical moment, likely giving others time to escape before Williams fatally shot himself as officers closed in. Taken together, police said the jammed handgun, the armed resistance, and the courage of unarmed and armed civilians disrupted the attacker’s momentum and likely prevented additional deaths and injuries.

3 articles · Updated · KMVT · Aug 8

Friday’s reopening came one week after the Aug. 1 shooting at the Twin Falls restaurant, which left three people dead and seven others injured.
In-N-Out said employees and the community are still grieving, and framed the return as a step taken with “respect and care” while honoring those killed and supporting others affected.
At 4:15 p.m., the restaurant resumed service at a time chosen to mark the chain’s original 1948 opening in Baldwin Park, California.
The company named the three victims — Ashley Garibay, 23; Dale Schultz, 66; and Christopher Claunch, 59 — and thanked first responders, hospital staff, an off-duty Idaho State Police trooper and two citizens for helping prevent further injuries.