Twin Falls Police Chief Matthew Hicks said Friday that investigators still have not identified a motive in the deadly shooting.
TWIN FALLS, Idaho — Officials in Twin Falls released their most detailed account yet of last week’s violence, describing the chaos that erupted when a gunman opened fire in one of the city’s busiest areas, killing three people and injuring seven others.
Speaking at a press conference, Hicks said detectives continue to examine what led to the Aug. 1 attack, but no motive has been determined.
Police had previously identified the suspected shooter as 24-year-old Chad Williams. At Friday’s briefing, however, authorities said they would no longer use his name publicly, instead referring to him as the suspect or the gunman to avoid giving him further notoriety.
“Our focus remains where it belongs, on our victims, on the people who are injured and the people whose lives are forever changed,” Hicks said.
The three people killed were Ashley Garibay, 23, of Stockton, California; Dale Schultz, 66, of Salt Lake City, Utah; and Christopher Claunch, 59, of Hagerman, Idaho. Authorities said the shooting began at an In-N-Out restaurant before the gunman fired indiscriminately while moving through a busy intersection, the Twin Falls Visitor Center and onto a public walking trail.
Officials said the suspect died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after officers confronted him on the trail.
Hicks described the response as “by far the most extreme, complex dangerous situation” his officers had ever faced, calling it “completely unprecedented in our community.”
Dispatchers received more than 160 calls in under an hour about the shooting, with the widespread scene causing initial confusion about how many shooters were involved.
“There were people running, hiding, calling 911, trying to help and trying to escape,” Hicks said. “They did not have the benefit of our hindsight.”
At the press conference, video was shown providing a timeline of how the incident unfolded. Officials confirmed that numerous good Samaritans jumped into the way of danger to protect others while the shooting was happening, saving the lives of those around them.
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One of the good Samaritans was an off-duty Idaho State Police trooper who was at the restaurant where the shooting began. He fired back at the suspect before helping secure the scene for on-duty officers, Hicks said.
Another person, a civilian, confronted the gunman on the walking trail in one of the video clips shown Friday, allowing others nearby to reach safety.
“In moments like this, courage can take many forms. Sometimes it can be an officer moving toward gunfire,” Hicks said. “Sometimes it can be a citizen distracting a gunman long enough for others to escape.”
Twin Falls Sheriff Jack Johnson praised the small acts of kindness and bravery that saved lives during the incident, noting that businesses nearby opened their doors to shelter people fleeing the gunfire and others worked to triage the people wounded in the attack.
Johnson said several of the good Samaritans fought back, potentially preventing further bloodshed along the gunman’s path.
“The citizens, the off-duty trooper, drove this creature away,” he said. “Our community will heal”
