This is a developing story. It will be updated as officials release verified information.
TWIN FALLS — At least three people were killed and two others were wounded Saturday afternoon in a shooting that began inside the In-N-Out Burger at 1965 Blue Lakes Blvd. N., and the suspected gunman is dead, authorities said.
Twin Falls city spokesman Josh Palmer told CBS News and NBC News that three people were killed and two were wounded, and that the shooting started inside the restaurant. At an evening news conference, Twin Falls Police Chief Matthew Hicks declined to confirm a casualty count, telling reporters he did not yet know precisely how many people had been killed or hurt and that officials were still working to notify next of kin.
“We believe the threat to the community is over,” Hicks said, according to the Associated Press. He said the suspected shooter died at the scene and described the response as a chaotic one.
What officials have confirmed
Twin Falls Police Lt. Steven Gassert said the first 911 call came in at 2:29 p.m., according to KTVB. Officers from Twin Falls, Buhl and Jerome police departments responded alongside Idaho State Police troopers, Twin Falls Fire Department crews, Rock Creek Fire and Magic Valley Paramedics, KMVT reported from the scene.
Hicks said hundreds of people were in or around the shopping center when the shooting happened and that investigators expect to interview all of them. He asked anyone with information to contact law enforcement.
Palmer told CBS News that the gunman was no longer considered a threat and that road closures were being lifted. A shelter-in-place order covering the area has also been lifted.
Conflicting early counts
Casualty figures have varied in the first hours of the response, which is common in incidents of this kind. Twin Falls County Commissioner Brent Reinke told the Associated Press that Sheriff Jack Johnson had informed him five people were hurt — an account given before the police news conference. Police have not reconciled the differing numbers publicly.
The identity of the suspected gunman has not been released, and investigators have not offered a motive. Hicks said determining both is part of the investigation and may take days.
A note on unverified material
Video and still images purporting to show the gunman have circulated widely on social media since Saturday afternoon. Twin Falls County News is not publishing or describing that material, and is not naming any individual as a suspect, until law enforcement confirms it. KMVT, which has reporters on scene, has taken the same position. Early misidentification in mass-casualty incidents causes real harm to people who had nothing to do with them.
Victim names are also being withheld. Officials said next-of-kin notifications were still underway Saturday evening.
Impact around the scene
Twin Falls police closed roads throughout the Blue Lakes Boulevard corridor and shut the Perrine Memorial Bridge, the main crossing linking the city to Interstate 84, during the response. Those closures were being reversed Saturday evening.
St. Luke’s Magic Valley asked the public to stay away from the medical center unless they had an emergency, while noting the Emergency Department remained open. St. Luke’s spokesperson Taylor Marschner said the system was coordinating with law enforcement and emergency responders.
The Magic Valley Mall closed and people inside were told to stay put during the active phase of the response, NBC News reported. The Twin Falls Chick-fil-A said it would remain closed for the rest of the day.
A restaurant open barely a week
The In-N-Out location is the chain’s fourth in Idaho and opened July 24 — eight days before the shooting — according to a company news release cited by NBC News. Chief Operating Officer Denny Warnick said the company was “heartbroken” in a statement Saturday.
The site sits in one of the busiest commercial stretches in southern Idaho, surrounded by national retailers, hotels, restaurants and a movie theater complex, and serves both Magic Valley residents and travelers passing through. Twin Falls, a city of roughly 56,000, is the regional hub for much of southern Idaho.
Official reaction
Gov. Brad Little asked Idahoans to keep the Twin Falls community in their prayers and urged the public to stay clear of the area and follow law enforcement direction. Attorney General Raúl Labrador said Idaho State Police, fire crews and paramedics were working alongside Twin Falls police to secure the scene.
What remains unknown
As of Saturday evening, officials had not released a confirmed death toll, the identities of the victims, the identity of the suspected gunman, or any indication of motive. Police have not said whether the suspected shooter is counted among the reported fatalities.
Anyone with information, video or photographs from the scene is asked to contact the Twin Falls Police Department.
Reporting compiled from the Associated Press, CBS News, NBC News, CNN, KTVB, KMVT, Boise State Public Radio and statements from the Twin Falls Police Department, the Office of Gov. Brad Little, the Office of the Attorney General, St. Luke’s Health System and In-N-Out Burger. Twin Falls County News did not have a reporter on scene.