The shooting shattered what should have been a typical Saturday afternoon for people who just wanted to get a cheeseburger at In-N-Out in Twin Falls, Idaho. Multiple people were killed in the tragedy.Show Caption
The CEO of In-N-Out says that an employee who was "taking care of" customers is among those who were gunned down in a shooting at a newly opened Idaho location of the fast-food chain, and that the woman's suspected killer was a "disgusting human who doesn't value the lives of others."Company CEO and owner Lynsi Snyder shared the information in an emotional Facebook post following the Aug. 1 shooting in the picturesque southern Idaho city of Twin Falls."My heart is broken, my chest is heavy, my eyes burn from the tears I've shed," Snyder posted, adding that the shooter "took the precious lives of our Associate and Customers, innocent people who never saw it coming."The shooting shattered what should have been a typical Saturday afternoon for people who just wanted to get a cheeseburger at the California-based In-N-Out, which had just opened the Twin Falls location on July 24. The gunshots sent people running for their lives and taking refuge wherever they could find it, including nearby businesses.Twin Falls police have not released how many people were killed and wounded in the shooting. Lt. Steven Gassert, a department spokesman, said on Aug. 2 that the numbers would be confirmed at a 4 p.m. ET news conference.City spokesman Josh Palmer told the Associated Press and Fox News that three are dead and seven are injured but said he did not know if the fatalities included the killer, who police said was dead but did not elaborate how. Palmer didn't immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment.Here's what we know about the shooting and what else Snyder is saying about it.How did the In-N-Out shooting unfold?It was a busy Saturday afternoon at the new In-N-Out location in Twin Falls when police responded to reports of an active shooter Aug. 1 at 2:29 p.m. MT."It was a very chaotic scene," city police Chief Matthew Hicks said at a news conference later in the day. "We have literally hundreds of people that were in some way, shape or form in the area of this restaurant at the time."He continued to say that the community "should be very proud of the women and men that work for all of your first responders here to try to ascertain this exceptionally chaotic scene on a Saturday afternoon here in Twin Falls at one of the busiest locations in all of southern Idaho."Though he said that the suspected shooter is dead, he did not say how. He said there were multiple fatalities and that his agency was working with a local hospital and coroner's office to determine how many and notify their loved ones."The suspect in this incident is deceased, and there is no ongoing threat to the public at this time," the police department said in the latest news release on Aug. 1. "There is a lot of misinformation going around on social media about the shooter and their identity. We would ask that people refrain from sharing information in an attempt to not share misinformation."Hicks said that police are working to determine the motive."Today has been a very hard day in twin falls," he said. "A tragic day."Survivors report chaos, terrorSurvivors and witnesses of the shooting have told news outlets and posted to social media about how terrifying the scene was when the gunshots broke out."People were running out crying and screaming. It was very scary," 43-year-old Twin Falls resident Haley Dodaro told the Associated Press.Lane Koehn, 34, told the outlet that he was at a stoplight near the In-N-Out when he saw someone with an AR-style rifle emerge from the drive-thru and then another man with a gun firing at the shooter.Kayla Saltzgiver Foister of Kenai, Alaska, posted on Facebook that she was getting food in the drive-thru at the In-N-Out when the shots broke out about five cars away from her."We ran and hid in a Dick's Sporting Goods for 2.5 hours hearing shots go on and off till it was all clear," she wrote. "We're alive and safe but traumatized."In-N-Out owner: 'We will stand together'As Twin Falls reels and loved ones of the victims begin grieving, Snyder said that In-N-Out "will be mourning with the families and praying for them as they tread through a very painful season.""I am no stranger to loss, but this is so incredibly tough, and my heart also goes out to all of the Associates and Customers who were there during this traumatic event," she said. "I love you all, and I ask you to turn to God, not in anger, but seeking comfort and strength for those who are hurting. We will stand together, and we will do everything we can to learn from this situation."Amanda Lee Myers is a senior crime reporter who covers cold case investigations, the death penalty and breaking news for USA TODAY. Follow her on X at @amandaleeusat
