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Terrified customers were forced to flee after a gunman walked into a fast-food restaurant and opened fire with an AR-style gun - leaving multiple people dead and more injured.
The horror shooting occurred at an In-N-Out Burger restaurant in southern Idaho on Saturday afternoon, August 2. It has left multiple people dead and several others injured, according to police.
The gunman was amongst those killed, Twin Falls Police Chief Matthew Hicks confirmed at a press conference. Officers were still working to establish the shooter's identity and motive.
"We believe the threat to the community is over," Hicks said. He added that he did not yet know exactly how many were killed or wounded, and officials were still in the process of notifying next of kin.
"It was a very chaotic scene."
According to the Sun, at least three people have lost their lives after the shooting with at least five people injured.
Idaho Governor Brad Little wrote on X: “Idahoans, join me in keeping the Twin Falls community in your prayers as law enforcement and first responders respond to an active shooter situation near In-N-Out.
“Please avoid the area and follow directions from law enforcement as they work to keep everyone safe.”
Eyewitness Lane Koehn, 34, said he was stopped at a traffic light near the In-N-Out when he spotted an individual armed with an AR-style rifle emerging from the drive-thru. A man carrying a pistol then opened fire on the shooter.
He subsequently witnessed a member of staff in an In-N-Out uniform drag a colleague, also in uniform, who was bleeding from a gunshot wound to her chest, across the car park. The employee, Koehn and the armed man remained at the scene until paramedics arrived to tend to her.
"She was pretty bad off, but I don't know. I hope she made it," Koehn said.
Koehn revealed he was instructed by police to leave the area as the shooting was still ongoing, and noted that the gunman fired at least three or four rounds, with no indication as to whether anyone in particular had been targeted. Footage captured by a driver from across the road showed a shooter, apparently dressed in black, approaching a white car while carrying a long rifle, opening the driver's side door and popping the boot.
The individual then made their way to the boot and reached inside. At that moment, the driver filming the incident departed hastily, fearing the man could be retrieving additional weapons.
An In-N-Out Burger restaurant [file image] (Image: Getty)Twin Falls resident Haley Dodaro, 43, and her mother visited In-N-Out for lunch on Saturday afternoon. While queuing in the drive-thru, they noticed people fleeing across the road and staff rushing out of the restaurant.
Initially, Dodaro suspected there may have been a fire, but a man directing traffic in a high-visibility vest informed them there was a shooter.
"So that's when we knew there was a shooting. People were running out crying and screaming. It was very scary," Dodaro said in a text message to The Associated Press.
The shooting occurred near a bustling shopping area, where hundreds of people were present at the time, Hicks confirmed. Officers were interviewing witnesses and urged anyone with information to get in touch with the authorities.
The city spokesperson, Josh Palmer, told NBC News that he expects "that number (those injured) to increase."
Reinke, who is also a former prison chief for the Idaho Department of Corrections, stated he was informed of the incident just before 4pm, with multiple agencies responding to the scene.
Police urged members of the public to steer clear of the area as roads were cordoned off. St. Luke's Magic Valley spokesperson Taylor Marschner confirmed in a statement that the medical centre was "working closely with law enforcement and emergency responders as they manage the situation."
Twin Falls, a city of approximately 56,000 residents, is situated around 130 miles (205 kilometres) southeast of Boise and roughly 75 miles (120 kilometres) north of the Nevada border.