Dick's Employee Survives 1 Shot Fired at Him After Twin Falls In-N-Out Attack

Q: Why did the Idaho mass shooter show emotion and warn a bystander to flee before suddenly opening fire on him?

There is no confirmed answer yet. Police in Twin Falls have said they still do not know the shooter’s motive, and nothing released so far explains with certainty why he appeared emotional, told Braxton Stuebe to get away, and then fired. What is known comes from Stuebe’s account and the video timeline described by police. Stuebe said he raised his hands, told the gunman he had a family and did not want trouble, and believed the suspect “started to tear up a bit.” According to Stuebe, the man then said, “Just get away from me, man,” suggesting a brief moment in which he did not want a direct confrontation with that bystander. Moments later, Stuebe said, the suspect turned and shot at him, missing. That sequence points to a volatile, unstable interaction rather than a clear, rational decision. The gunman had already carried out a chaotic attack, was moving through the canyon-area trails as civilians and officers were searching for him, and had been confronted by armed bystanders and an off-duty trooper. In that context, his behavior may have shifted rapidly from apparent hesitation or distress to renewed violence. Police have also said Stuebe’s encounter likely distracted the gunman and gave others time to escape. But as of now, any claim about why the shooter showed emotion or why he fired after warning Stuebe away would be speculation, not an established fact.

Q: How did a desperate escape attempt lead a retail worker directly into the path of a fleeing mass murderer?

He ran from one danger zone into another because the escape route from Dick’s Sporting Goods led toward the same canyon-side corridor the gunman used while fleeing the In-N-Out shooting. Braxton Stuebe said he helped move customers and co-workers to the back of the store after people rushed in yelling that there was an active shooter. Once a rear exit was opened, he and a co-worker fled toward a hotel under construction near the canyon. That path took them toward the Twin Falls Visitor Center, Blue Lakes Boulevard and the Canyon Rim trail area. Police and witness accounts show the suspect, identified as Chad Williams, had already moved beyond the restaurant after shooting victims at the drive-thru, in nearby cars and along Blue Lakes Boulevard. As officers and armed civilians pressured him away from In-N-Out, he headed into the broader canyon and visitor-center area. That overlap in movement is what put Stuebe directly in the gunman’s path. Near the visitor center, Stuebe said he suddenly saw a man with a gun, froze, raised his hands and tried to talk him down. He told KMVT he said, “I have a family,” and begged not to be harmed. Stuebe said the suspect appeared emotional, told him to get away, then fired a shot that missed as Stuebe backed off. Police later said the encounter likely slowed the gunman and gave other civilians time to turn around and escape. In that sense, a desperate flight from the store became an accidental interception on the suspect’s escape route.

3 articles · Updated · East Idaho News · Aug 8

Braxton Stuebe said the gunman fired one shot at him and missed after he encountered the suspect near the Twin Falls visitor center while fleeing the weekend attack.
Stuebe said he first realized the danger when 5 to 10 people rushed into Dick’s Sporting Goods shouting about an active shooter, prompting him to help direct customers to a locked back exit.
Near a hotel under construction, Stuebe said he froze when he saw the gun, raised his hands and pleaded, “I have a family,” before the suspect became emotional and told him to get away.
After the shot missed, Stuebe and a co-worker ran to Blue Lakes, tried to flag down traffic, went into Best Buy and called their parents; his father said he raced across town to bring him home safely.
The account adds a close-range survivor narrative to the Twin Falls shooting centered on the In-N-Out Burger, underscoring how the violence spread into nearby stores and bystanders’ escape routes.