Coverage spread: 3 sources — 1 left · 1 center · 1 right
Lean ratings via AllSides / Media Bias-Fact-Check. How this works.
Where they agree
- A 24-year-old gunman, identified as Chad Williams, killed three people and wounded seven at an In-N-Out Burger in Twin Falls, Idaho, on Aug. 1 before dying of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
- An off-duty Idaho state trooper and an armed civilian bystander returned fire on the shooter, and police credit them with driving him away and preventing more casualties.
- Police, including Chief Matthew Hicks, say a motive has not yet been established and the investigation into Williams’ movements is ongoing.
- Two of the seven wounded remained in critical condition as of Sunday, and Williams’ family is cooperating with investigators.
Where they differ
- Fox News focuses on the armed bystander’s identity and personal account, naming Jordan Salinas via the Idaho Statesman and detailing his firearm training and mindset during the shooting.
- NBC News centers on witness Lane Koehn’s roadside account of the chaos and on wounded victim Terry Dudley’s story as told by his son Michael, giving a more victim-focused, on-the-ground narrative.
- Fox News highlights police warnings that social media posts naming a different suspect were false, a detail NBC’s coverage does not include.
- The Hill and one NBC video segment provided no article text, so their specific emphasis or additional details could not be assessed.
What happened at the restaurant
A gunman opened fire at a crowded In-N-Out Burger in Twin Falls, Idaho, on Saturday, Aug. 1, killing three people and wounding seven others, two of whom were in critical condition as of Sunday. Twin Falls Police Chief Matthew Hicks identified the shooter as 24-year-old Chad Williams, who died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound near the restaurant. Hicks said investigators are confident Williams acted alone, but as of Sunday’s briefing they had not determined a motive or fully reconstructed his movements before the attack. Williams’ family is cooperating with investigators; Hicks said “their hearts are also broken during this time.” Police have not released the names of those killed while family notification is underway, and they warned that names of an alleged suspect circulating on social media were incorrect.
An armed bystander and an off-duty trooper intervened
Authorities credited an armed bystander and an off-duty Idaho state trooper with returning fire on Williams and driving him away from the crowd, which officials believe prevented further casualties. Twin Falls County Sheriff Jack Johnson called them “true heroes” who “diverted the shooter and without a doubt saved many lives.” Police have not officially named either person, but the Idaho Statesman identified the armed bystander as Jordan Salinas, 35, of Kimberly, Idaho, a healthcare worker who is also the full-time caregiver for his wheelchair-bound brother. Salinas, carrying an FN Five-seveN pistol fitted with a suppressor, said he began firearms training after a 2021 shooting even though he had never before aimed a gun at another person or an animal. He described applying a decision process — observing, orienting, then deciding to act — before engaging Williams, who he said seemed “shocked” and did not expect gunfire coming back at him. Salinas said his girlfriend was inside the restaurant during the shooting and that he felt no fear, only a sense that “there’s a task that needs to be done.” He stood down once police arrived and took control of the scene.
A separate witness, Lane Koehn, 34, told NBC News he was stopped at a nearby traffic light when he saw a person with an AR-style rifle come out of the drive-thru and fire on a car in front of him. Koehn said someone in the drive-thru line with a handgun exchanged fire with the shooter, who appeared “panicked” and moved “erratically” as he tried to figure out where to go. Koehn believes that exchange kept the gunman focused on one target long enough for others, including himself, to get away. He estimated the ordeal lasted 10 to 15 minutes and described a chaotic aftermath, including an employee dragging a co-worker with a gunshot wound to the chest.
One victim’s account
Among the wounded was Terry Dudley, a taxi driver who was shot in the back near the neck while charging his Tesla outside the restaurant, according to his son Michael Dudley. Michael said his father is intubated in a hospital but appears to be improving, and that the car parked next to his father’s was also hit by gunfire. Witness video reviewed by NBC News shows a man in a black T-shirt carrying what looks like an AR-style rifle firing into a parked Tesla through the windshield before jogging away through the parking lot; it is not confirmed whether that was Dudley’s vehicle. Asked how he felt about the shooter’s death, Michael Dudley said he was “glad he’s been handled and taken care of.”
What is still unknown
As of Sunday, police had not disclosed a motive, had not said whether any of the victims were specifically targeted, and had not released the identities of those killed. Investigators are still piecing together Williams’ movements leading up to the shooting. The names of the off-duty trooper and the armed bystander have not been officially confirmed by police, and authorities specifically cautioned the public against trusting names of an alleged second suspect that spread on social media, saying that information was inaccurate.
Sources
Featured photo: Tommyers89 via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)