In-N-Out Burger President Lynsi Snyder said her «heart is broken» after a gunman opened fire at one of the chain’s newest restaurants in Idaho, killing an employee and customers and sending several other people to the hospital.
The shooting happened Saturday afternoon in a busy shopping plaza in Twin Falls, a city of about 56,000 people roughly 130 miles southeast of Boise. Three people were killed and seven others were injured, some critically, according to city spokesperson Josh Palmer. Police found the suspected gunman dead near the restaurant, though officials said it was not immediately clear whether the shooter was included in the city’s reported death toll.
In a statement posted to Facebook, Snyder said one of the company’s employees was killed while doing her job. «We lost one of our beautiful Associates tonight,» Snyder wrote. «She was taking care of our most important asset — our Customers, and her life was taken by a disgusting human who doesn’t value the lives of others or his own.» Snyder said the gunman fired both on and away from In-N-Out property before ending his own life shortly after the attack.
Officials had not released the names, ages or other identifying details of the victims as authorities worked to notify relatives. Twin Falls Police Chief Matthew Hicks said investigators were trying to identify the suspected shooter and determine a motive. «We believe the threat to the community is over,» Hicks said during a news conference. «It was a very chaotic scene.»
The gunfire erupted at about 2 p.m. in an area where hundreds of people were present. Video recorded from across the street appeared to show a person dressed in black carrying a long rifle toward a white vehicle. The person opened the driver’s door and then the trunk before reaching inside, prompting the person recording the scene to leave out of concern that the shooter might be retrieving additional weapons.
Multiple victims were taken to St. Luke’s Magic Valley Medical Center. A hospital spokesperson said the facility was working with law enforcement and emergency personnel as they responded to the shooting.
The restaurant first opened on July 24, barely a week before the attack, as part of In-N-Out’s expansion into Idaho. Snyder said the company would mourn alongside the families of the victims and support the employees and customers who experienced the violence. «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.
She urged the In-N-Out community 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,» Snyder added.
The FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are assisting local authorities with the investigation.
