A civilian hailed as a hero said the confidence of a rifle-toting gunman who killed two people near an Idaho In-N-Out Burger “immediately crumbled” once he began returning fire with his pistol, according to a report.
Jordan Salinas, 35, told ABC News he first spotted 24-year-old Chad Williams aiming a rifle at passing vehicles outside the Twin Falls fast-food restaurant on Saturday, prompting him to act.
“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 in a sit-down interview with the outlet, joined by his girlfriend, Emily Cohelo.
Salinas, a healthcare worker who also serves as the full-time caregiver for his brother, said Williams looked disturbingly calm as he trained the weapon on cars. But that composure, he said, vanished once the gunman realized someone was firing back.
“He seemed unusually comfortable aiming that rifle at those cars,” Salinas said. “As soon as some rounds started coming at him, everything changed immediately. All that bravado he had immediately crumbled.”
Salinas lifted his FN Five-Seven — a semiautomatic pistol fitted with a suppressor — gripped it with both hands and fired a shot.
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He later told the Idaho Statesman it was the first time he had ever pointed his weapon at a living target.
Salinas said he had prepared himself for such a crisis after witnessing the 2021 mass shooting at Boise Towne Square mall, where two people were killed and several others were injured.
Both Salinas and an off-duty cop confronted Williams during the rampage before the gunman made his way toward an open parking lot at the Twin Falls visitor center and killed himself with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
“We believe these actions drove the suspect from the scene and prevented further casualties,” Twin Falls Police Chief Hicks said during a press conference on Sunday.
Two people were killed, including Christopher Claunch, 59, and In-N-Out employee Ashley Garibay, 23, according to family members.
Seven people were injured in the chaos. Five of the victims remained hospitalized on Sunday, including two in critical condition, cops said.
Williams was a dropout of the College of Southern Idaho who previously railed against crime in chilling X posts.
A motive in the shooting remains unclear.
