The grieving sister of a man fatally wounded in the In-N-Out shooting has shared an emotional tribute, as other survivors of the attack continue to face devastating injuries.
Christopher Claunch, an employee at Renaissance Ranch Recovery Center, succumbed to his injuries after gunfire erupted at about 2.30pm on Saturday, his sister, Kimberly Castaneda, told The New York Times.
Authorities said the gunman, identified as 24-year-old Chad Williams, opened fire with an AK-style rifle, targeting unsuspecting customers and workers at the Twin Falls In-N-Out location.
Police said Williams later died after turning the weapon on himself in a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Claunch, 59, had been sober for two years and had endured deep personal tragedy, including the death of his first wife in a car crash just three months after their wedding, his sister said.
Though originally from California, Claunch had made Idaho his home for roughly 30 years, according to Castaneda.
That made the arrival of In-N-Out in the state especially exciting for him, she said, because it brought a beloved West Coast fast-food favorite within reach.
Still, Castaneda said her brother had mentioned he planned to wait until the early crowds died down before visiting the newly opened restaurant, which began serving customers on July 24.
‘You have no idea how surprised I was when I found out he was there,’ Castaneda recalled to the outlet.
Christopher Claunch, 59, died in the horrific In-N-Out shooting in Twin Falls, Idaho on Saturday afternoon, his sister has revealed
The location just opened its doors on July 24 in Twin Falls
Steven Pixley was riding his motorcycle past the restaurant when he was struck by a bullet on Saturday afternoon as shots rang out at the In-N-Out in Twin Falls, Idaho
A female restaurant employee who has not yet been identified and another person lost their lives in the rampage. Seven others were injured in the rampage.
Police have not publicly identified any victims, but several online fundraisers have been shared since the tragedy.
Steven Pixley was riding his motorcycle past the restaurant when he was struck by a bullet, a GoFundMe page detailed.
He rushed to surgery at a local hospital before being transferred to a medical center in Boise after being shot in the elbow, it read.
‘He was minding his own business and suffered a tragedy that will affect him for a long time—mentally, physically, and emotionally,’ the fundraiser added.
Another victim, Terry Dudley, was shot twice in the back while he charged his Tesla, a fundraiser stated.
His job, North Star Taxi, also confirmed he was hurt in the shooting in a Facebook post on Sunday.
‘Our driver Terry Dudley was the victim of a mass shooting Saturday,’ the business revealed, adding that he ‘has a very long road ahead of him.’
After the tragedy, Twin Falls Police Chief Matthew Hicks praised two men, an unnamed off-duty state trooper and an armed citizen who has been identified as Jordan Salinas, 35, for intervening during the incident.
Another victim, Terry Dudley, was shot twice in the back while he charged his Tesla in the parking lot
Chad Williams, 24, fired an AK-style rifle at several innocent customers and employees before turning the gun on himself, police said
The men both fired shots at the gunman and ultimately stopped Williams from killing others, Hicks said.
‘We want to take a moment and commend the actions of the off-duty officer and the citizen and their heroic action to stop this incident,’ Hicks said during a press conference on Sunday.
‘We believe their actions helped drive the suspect away from the scene, preventing further casualties.’
Salinas told the Idaho Statesman he has been receiving self-defense training for five years, following the deadly Boise Towne Square Mall shooting that left two dead and four others injured.
Lane Koehn told NBC News that he saw Salinas shooting at Williams.
He rushed to the restaurant’s drive-thru and fired shots. The motive behind the attack remains unclear
‘I could tell he was trying to figure out where to go, and somebody in the drive-thru line with a handgun was shooting at him,’ Koehn recalled.
He said the shooter was ‘panicked’ and acting ‘kind of erratically,’ but the armed civilian distracted him from causing more carnage.
‘The shooter was solely focused on him, and [it] allowed us to get out. I mean, the car directly ahead of me was getting shot – it gave them time to leave,’ he added.
In a statement on Sunday, In-N-Out President Lynsi Snyder shared that a ‘beautiful’ restaurant employee, whom she did not name, died in the tragedy.
‘My heart is broken, my chest is heavy, my eyes burn from the tears I’ve shed,’ Snyder said in a statement.
An armed civilian, later identified as Jordan Salinas (far left), 35, pulled a gun on the shooter and fired shots at him during the rampage
‘We lost one of our beautiful Associates tonight. She was taking care of our most important asset – our Customers, and her life was taken by a disgusting human who doesn’t value the lives of others or his own.’
‘He shot both on our property and off, and ended his life shortly after he took the precious lives of our Associate and Customers, innocent people who never saw it coming,’ Snyder added.
The motive behind the attack remains unclear.
