Civilian who helped stop Idaho In-N-Out Burger shooting finally speaks out

Jordan Salinas, 35, reportedly stepped up because he wanted 'to help as many people get home as possible'

Published Aug 04, 2026  •  1 minute read

Jordan Salinas takes aim at the Idaho shooting suspect Saturday. Photo by TMZ/via Lane Koehn/Storfyul

Sometimes the good guys shoot back.

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A man who opened fire on a gunman who allegedly killed three people at a fast-food restaurant in Idaho said in an interview with ABC News: “My goal was to try to help as many people get home as possible.”

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Jordan Salinas, 35, is being hailed as a hero after firing at a suspected shooter who allegedly killed three people at an In-N-Out Burger in Twin Falls.

Salinas told Good Morning America‘s Trevor Ault that he saw the suspect aim a rifle as vehicles were passing by.

“I peeked around the right-hand side of that sign closest to the road and that’s when I saw the individual with his rifle pointed at the vehicles,” Salinas said. “He seemed unusually comfortable aiming that rifle at those cars. As soon as some rounds started coming at him, everything changed immediately. All that bravado he had immediately crumbled.”

Cops believe suspect acted alone

Twin Falls Police Chief Matthew Hicks said Salinas and an armed off-duty Idaho State Police officer confronted the suspect, Chad Williams, 24, who reportedly died after he turned his gun on himself. Police said the actions of Salinas and the officer gave potential shooting victims valuable time to get away and prevented any further loss of life.

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Local authorities said three people were killed and seven others were injured in the Saturday shooting. Five remained in a hospital with two in critical condition.

Authorities believe Williams acted by himself and said that his family is co-operating with investigators. The FBI is currently investigating the shooting.

Williams was a student at the College of Southern Idaho in 2022 and 2023, but never graduated with a degree, a spokesperson told ABC. A student who knew Williams said he was a senator in the college’s student government, but was impeached in 2023.

He lost contact with him in the following years, calling the shooting “shocking.”

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