Videos circulating on social media show the “heroic” actions of an armed citizen attempting to stop a gunman who opened fire near an In-N-Out Burger restaurant in broad daylight in Twin Falls, Idaho, on Saturday. The reported at around 2.30 pm local time near the popular eatery, showed the man with a handgun exchanging fire with the shooter.
Three people were killed, and seven others were injured, according to the Associated Press (AP). The is believed to have died by suicide.
According to Lane Koehn, who filmed part of the incident from his car, the shooting could have claimed more lives had it not been for the actions of the good Samaritan, who may have saved lives by distracting the gunman long enough for diners and employees to escape.
Koehn, 34, said he was waiting at a traffic light near the In-N-Out restaurant when he saw a man carrying an AR-style rifle emerge from the drive-through. Moments later, another man opened fire on him with a pistol.
He then noticed an In-N-Out employee with a gunshot wound to the chest being pulled across the car park by another staff member.
Koehn, who was carrying a firearm, stayed with the injured employee until paramedics reached the scene.
“She was pretty bad off, but I don’t know. I hope she made it,” Koehn told KPTV.
Police have not yet revealed the identity of the gunman or the motive behind the shooting.
Motorist captured suspect approaching vehicle
A video recorded by a motorist from across the road showed a man, believed to be the shooter and dressed in black, approaching a white car with a long rifle. The footage captured him opening the driver’s door before lifting the boot and reaching inside.
Fearing the man was retrieving more weapons, the person filming drove away from the scene.
Witnesses recount panic
Haley Dodaro, 43, from Twin Falls, said she and her mother were waiting in the drive-through at In-N-Out for lunch on Saturday afternoon when they saw people running across the road and employees rushing out of the restaurant.
At first, she believed there had been a fire. However, a man in a reflective vest directing traffic informed them there was an active 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.
Another witness, Nayeli Rodriguez, 40, from Burley, said she was inside the restaurant with her daughters waiting for their food when gunshots rang out from the kitchen area. She said an employee warned customers there was a shooting and instructed everyone to get down.
Rodriguez said an elderly man tried to shield her and her daughters, and they were among the last people to escape the restaurant.
“We were trying to get as far as we could and some angels let us in their car,” Rodriguez said in a text message. “I left my car there in the parking lot.”
The incident has reignited the debate over gun ownership in the United States.
