Fatalities in shooting at Twin Falls In-N-Out; gunman killed

A gunman opened fire at an In-N-Out Burger in Twin Falls, Idaho, on Saturday afternoon, killing three people and wounding two others before he was killed, police said, shutting down one of the city’s busiest commercial strips.

The shooting broke out inside the restaurant on Blue Lakes Boulevard North at around 2:30 p.m., Police Chief Matthew Hicks told an evening news conference. Officers from city, county and state agencies flooded the area, and residents were ordered to shelter in place while police searched nearby buildings, including a hotel overlooking the visitor center.

Hicks said the suspected shooter was found dead near the scene and that the threat to the community had passed. Three people were killed and two were taken to St. Luke’s Magic Valley hospital, city spokesman Josh Palmer said, though he warned the toll could climb as the investigation continued. It was not immediately clear whether the gunman was among the three counted dead.

Investigators had not yet identified the shooter or pinned down a motive, Hicks said, and expected answers in the coming days. Hundreds of potential witnesses were still to be interviewed. He called it a very hard day for the city.

The In-N-Out, at 1965 Blue Lakes Boulevard North, opened only last month as part of the chain’s push into Idaho. It sits in a retail corridor of hotels, big-box stores and a movie theater on the city’s north side, near the Perrine Bridge — the scenic span over the Snake River Canyon that was closed along with surrounding roads during the response. The shelter-in-place order was later lifted and roads began reopening as the investigation went on.