Caregiver Who Returned Fire At Twin Falls In‑N‑Out Shooter Credits Firearms Training After 2021 Boise Mall Attack

Jordan Salinas, a 35-year-old caregiver, says his split-second response to gunfire at an In‑N‑Out in Twin Falls, Idaho, was "automatic" — and that firearms training helped him act.

In an interview with the Idaho Statesman, Salinas described how he and his girlfriend had stopped for lunch on their way to a horseback-riding date when he heard the "pop-pop-pop" of gunfire and saw people fleeing. He said he moved toward the sound instinctively, drew a semi-automatic pistol from a shoulder holster and returned fire; the pistol had a suppressor attached to the barrel.

Training, Reaction and Result

Salinas told the paper he began serious firearms training after a 2021 mall shooting in Boise — about a two-hour drive from Twin Falls — that left two people dead and four wounded. He said that training taught him to follow four steps: "observe, orient, decide [and] act."

On Saturday, he said he saw the attacker, later identified by police as 24-year-old Chad Williams, standing near the drive-through window, raise a rifle and fire toward cars. Salinas raised his pistol with both hands and fired back. "He did not like it when bullets started firing both ways," Salinas told the Idaho Statesman.

Authorities Credit Return Fire

Twin Falls police later said the attacker died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Officials credited the return fire from Salinas and an off-duty officer with diverting the shooter and helping prevent further casualties.

"We believe their actions helped drive the suspect away from the scene, preventing further casualties," Twin Falls Police Chief Matthew Hicks said at a news conference. Sheriff Jack Johnson called them "true heroes in our community."

Police said Williams killed three people and wounded seven others at the recently opened restaurant in the southern Idaho city of about 56,000 residents. Two of the wounded were treated and released from hospital; three were in stable condition and two remained in critical condition.

Motivation and Wider Debate

Salinas, who works full time as a caregiver for his brother, who uses a wheelchair, said he felt "no fear" during the confrontation because he relied on training. He said he chose to learn to use firearms after concluding attackers often target "soft targets," including people with mobility challenges.

His account and the praise from law-enforcement officials come amid an ongoing debate about the proper role of bystanders during mass shootings. Some witnesses in Saturday's incident reportedly slowed their cars and shouted at the shooter rather than driving away or seeking cover.

As of Monday morning, the Gun Violence Archive had recorded at least 280 mass shootings in the United States so far this year. The nonprofit defines a mass shooting as an incident in which four or more people are shot or wounded. The high annual totals have intensified calls for stricter federal gun restrictions, though Congress has not enacted major new limits in recent years.