By Mark Dee and Alex Brizee

Source The Idaho Statesman

As the investigation into the mass shooting at an In-N-Out Burger in Twin Falls continues, Police Chief Matthew Hicks said that there “is still no known motive” for the attack.

“What happened here was violent, frightening and deeply traumatic,” he told reporters, local officials and members of the public at a news conference Friday.

What should have been a normal weekend afternoon, turned into “the worst things imaginable,” Hicks said. By far Saturday’s shooting was “the most extreme, complex and dangerous situation” that the Magic Valley has ever faced, he added.

Authorities in Twin Falls have identified the three victims who were killed as 23-year-old Ashley Garibay, 59-year-old Christopher “Toph” Claunch and 66-year-old Dale Schultz. Police haven’t identified the injured but confirmed that seven people were wounded. Of those, families and friends have publicly identified six of them.

Hundreds of others were in the plaza around the restaurant — which had just opened a week before — when the first shots were fired. Witnesses have described a chaotic scene as bystanders enjoying a warm August afternoon realized what was going on.

Customers fled stores, ran into other buildings for safety, and sheltered in place as first responders arrived. While others ran toward danger, shooting at the suspect, later identified as 24-year-old Chad Williams, and providing medical care as best as they could to those who’d been wounded.

In moments like this, Hicks said, courage can take many forms. From an officer moving toward gunfire and citizen directing people into a safe room, he said, to an employee helping a coworker hide or a dispatcher staying calm to provide someone comfort in the “worst moment” of their life.

Hicks urged patience. The investigation — a collaboration among local, state and federal agencies — is ongoing, he said.

“We understand the desire for answers,” he said. “We share that desire with you, but investigations of this size are complex, and they take time. Our goal is to provide accurate information, not simply fast information.”

3 killed, 7 injured at In-N-Out Burger, Blue Lakes Blvd and Tesla Supercharger

Police on Friday released an edited composite of security camera footage detailing the events in and around In-N-Out Burger, a timeline that sprawls from the restaurant drive-thru to the floor of the Snake River Canyon.

The video showed the shooter, approaching the In-N-Out drive-thru in a white Honda Civic before drawing a handgun and firing into the window. At least one shot struck Garibay, an In-N-Out employee from California who had come to train employees at the new location. Garibay was pulled from the building by a coworker and taken by an ambulance to a hospital, where she died from her wounds, according to the video.

The gunman then turned to the line of cars outside the building. Claunch was then shot in his car while waiting in the drive-thru line, police said.

Hearing gunfire, Austin James got out of his car and confronted the gunman. James, a former Twin Falls police officer and former state trooper, was shot in the altercation. He retreated before circling back and drawing his own gun, according to police. But noticing his wound, bystanders pulled him into a car for treatment and drove him to a hospital.

“Mr. James ran toward the sound of gunfire coming from the In-N-Out drive-thru area, rather than away from danger, and his actions are courageous and commendable,” Hicks said.

The gunman tried to fire more shots through the window, video shows, but his handgun jammed. He returned to his car, popped the trunk, and pulled out a semi-automatic rifle. When he returned to the window, he took fire himself: An off-duty Idaho State Police Trooper had leapt the counter and drawn his weapon. He shot at the suspect. Another good Samaritan, also unnamed, was wounded in the firefight while helping the off-duty trooper.

By then, video shows the gunman looking through the In-N-Out windows. Seeing no people, he turned his attention to the nearby road, according to the video.

Despite the focus of Saturday’s mass shooting being on the In-N-Out Burger, many of the injured victims weren’t customers at the recently opened restaurant. The shooter also opened onto the surrounding areas, including Blue Lakes Boulevard and the nearby parking lot of the Twin Falls Visitor Center, where several people were charging their Teslas, the Idaho Statesman found, and law enforcement confirmed Friday.

Among those injured were three people who were just sitting in traffic on Blue Lakes Boulevard, including Isabel Torres and her pregnant sister-in-law, Karla Diaz, Idaho News 6 reported. The pair had driven from one of the neighboring towns into Twin Falls to celebrate a friend’s birthday when they stopped for a red light at the intersection of Fillmore Street.

In one of the neighboring lanes was Steven Pixley, who was shot in the left elbow as he also waited in traffic along Blue Lakes, according to his cousin. At least one other vehicle was shot at, but its occupants, James Jump and his fiancée, Angela Tonge, weren’t physically injured.

Others were injured at the Tesla Supercharger in the parking lot of the Twin Falls Visitor Center, which is just down a berm from the In-N-Out. Terry Dudley, a local taxi driver, was charging his Tesla when the gunman shot into the rear window of his vehicle. Dudley remains hospitalized, according to his son.

In the next vehicle over were Dale and Reinette Schultz, who were headed to a family reunion in the Twin Falls area from Salt Lake City when they stopped at the charging station to make sure they had enough power to make it there and back home, according to his brother, Jackson Schultz. Dale Schultz died from his injuries, but his wife, Reinette, survived.

“It was just such a meaningless act — to lose him like that,” his older brother said over the phone. “Just to have him, and then he’s gone. It’s heartbreaking.”

Police chase ends in Snake River Canyon

By then, police had responded in force, Hicks said. Twin Falls’ two dispatchers took 85 calls in the first ten minutes of the attack, and more than 130 in the first hour. It took the first officer three minutes to arrive at the plaza, Hicks said, but it took officers 90 minutes to confirm that the gunman was acting alone.

Ultimately, 150 first responders from 19 agencies arrived on scene, he said, and “I personally could not be more proud of them.”

Officers with long guns found the gunman after he left the Twin Falls Visitor Center and ran west on the Canyon Rim Trail. Video shows an employee from a nearby store speaking to Williams on the Canyon Rim Trail, allowing time for others to run away up the path before the gunman followed, heading west. The employee was not injured.

“To that young man, you are a hero,” Twin Falls County Sheriff Jack Johnson said Friday. “That kind of bravery needs to be acknowledged.”

The conversation also allowed police who were searching nearby to catch up. An officer noticed the man off the north side of the trail, along the canyon rim. The officer drew his weapon, body cam footage shows. Once engaged, Chad Williams died of a self-inflicted gunshot, and his body fell to the canyon floor, police said.

‘We know people want answers’: FBI seeks tips as investigation continues

FBI Special Agent In Charge Michael Montoya said that the agency is still looking for tips, particularly photo or video, that might aid their investigation. More information on that can be found online. The agency is also looking to identify potential victims who were in the area on Aug. 1 through a seeking victims website. Victim Specialists are available to offer services and support, according to the website.

“Our hearts are heavy and remain with the victims, with their families and everyone in this community who’ve been deeply impacted,” Montoya said. “The FBI has been fully committed to supporting our law enforcement partners and continue to assist in this investigation as it moves forward.

“We know people want answers,” he said, “and so do we.”

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