Authorities in Twin Falls, Idaho, have publicly named the off-duty state trooper who confronted a mass shooter at an In-N-Out Burger restaurant on Saturday, August 1, 2026, as Idaho State Police Specialist Steve McClain. His identity had been withheld initially because he was a victim who had been shot at during the attack that left three people dead and seven wounded.
Surveillance footage released Friday by Twin Falls police shows McClain, dressed in a white T-shirt, leaping over the counter inside the restaurant, pulling his sidearm and firing back through the drive-thru window at the attacker, 24-year-old Chad Williams. The video also captures Williams approaching the drive-thru window four times and opening fire, killing one of the three victims by shooting through the opening.
After exchanging gunfire with Williams, McClain directed staff members out of the kitchen and later guided them from the building entirely. He then led responding officers toward the shooter’s location and secured a critical position until additional units arrived, according to police.
Twin Falls Police Chief Matthew Hicks confirmed at a news conference on Sunday, August 2, that Williams died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after being driven from the scene by return fire from McClain and an armed bystander. Investigators believe Williams operated alone, and authorities are still working to determine what motivated the rampage, which erupted just after 2 p.m. local time in a busy shopping plaza on Blue Lakes Boulevard.
Armed Bystander Joins the Fight
Jordan Salinas, a 35-year-old from Kimberly, Idaho, was identified as the civilian who returned fire alongside McClain. Salinas told the Idaho Statesman that Williams “did not like it when bullets started firing both ways.”
Hicks praised both men during the Sunday briefing, describing their actions as heroic and crediting them with preventing additional casualties. Officers arrived at 2:29 p.m. after receiving reports of shots fired, and dispatchers could hear screaming and gunfire over 911 calls. Hicks called the scene among the most disorienting situations law enforcement personnel encounter.
Another man, Austin James, rushed toward Williams in an attempt to intervene but chose not to draw his own firearm for fear that arriving police would confuse him with the assailant, his father, Marcus James, told CBS News. Austin James sustained critical injuries in a direct confrontation with Williams. His wife, an emergency room nurse, along with another nurse at the scene, treated him before paramedics transported him to a hospital.
Victims Include Restaurant Worker and Others
Among those killed was an In-N-Out employee, Ashley Garibay, 23, from Stockton, California, who was training new employees. Lynsi Snyder, president of the California-based burger chain, said in a statement posted early Sunday before victims were identified that In-N-Out had lost one of its associates who was serving customers when the shooting began. Snyder said the company would grieve alongside the families of the victims. The restaurant had opened roughly a week earlier, on July 24, marking the company’s recent push into Idaho. The other two people killed were Christopher Claunch, 59, and Dale Schultz, 66. Schultz was shot while charging his Tesla; his wife was injured.
By Sunday, two of the seven injured had been treated and released, three were listed in stable condition, and two remained critical. Terry Dudley was among the wounded, struck twice while also charging his electric vehicle near the restaurant. His son, Michael Dudley, told ABC News that his father called 911 and a friend before being airlifted to a hospital in Boise.
Chaos Unfolds in Crowded Retail Area
The restaurant sits in a heavily trafficked retail center, and many shoppers were nearby when the violence erupted. Lane Koehn, 34, said he was stopped at a traffic light when he saw someone carrying an AR-style rifle step out from the drive-thru and a man with a handgun start shooting at him. Koehn witnessed a uniformed employee pulling a wounded coworker across the parking lot and stayed with her until paramedics arrived. He said Williams fired multiple rounds and it was unclear whether anyone was being specifically targeted.
Footage captured by a driver across the street shows a figure clad in black approaching a white vehicle with a rifle, opening the driver’s door, releasing the trunk and reaching inside. The person filming fled, fearing Williams was retrieving additional weapons.
Haley Dodaro, 43, a Twin Falls resident, was in the drive-thru line with her mother when workers ran from the building, and a man in a reflective vest alerted them to a shooter. People were “running out crying and screaming,” she said in a text message. Nayeli Rodriguez, 40, of Burley, was inside with her daughters when she heard shots coming from the kitchen and an employee ordered everyone to the floor. An older man attempted to shield her family, and strangers eventually allowed them into a car to flee.
Braxton Stuebe, working at a nearby Dick’s Sporting Goods store, said a surge of panicked people rushed inside as a woman yelled about an active shooter. Stuebe and a coworker escaped through a rear exit and encountered Williams directly. Stuebe said he froze and raised his hands as the weapon was aimed at him, pleading that he had a family and would comply with anything. Williams became emotional, Stuebe recalled, and ordered him to leave. Moments later, as the gunman retreated, he fired a shot that barely missed.
Multiple victims were transported to St. Luke’s Magic Valley Medical Center. The FBI established a digital media tipline requesting the public to submit photos and videos. Hicks warned against spreading misinformation, noting that a man with no connection to the shooting had been falsely identified online as the attacker. Speaking of Williams’ family, the chief said they are cooperating fully with law enforcement and their hearts are broken as well.