The armed civilian who heroically returned fire on the In-N-Out gunman in Idaho said he began self-defense training five years ago after another tragic shooting. 

Jordan Salinas, 35, was headed out for a nice horseback riding date with his girlfriend on Saturday afternoon when he was suddenly faced with using the techniques he had learned. 

He pulled into the restaurant’s parking lot around 2.30pm, around the same time that Chad Williams, 24, opened fire on innocent people with an AR-style rifle. 

Salinas immediately saw people running for their lives before realizing that a gunman was to blame for the chaos, he recalled to the Idaho Statesman. 

An ‘automatic’ and ‘mechanical’ quickly set in for him, as Salinas ran toward the danger after reaching for his shoulder holster and pulling out a semi-automatic pistol on Williams. 

For Salinas, this was something he was prepared for after the 2021 shooting at the Boise Towne Square Mall that left two dead and four others injured. 

Salinas, a healthcare worker and full-time caregiver for his disabled brother, told the outlet that the 2021 incident made him realize that gunmen often target ‘soft targets’ – someone like his wheelchair-bound brother. 

Since that day, Salinas has practiced shooting on the weekends and even trains in the desert. Until Sunday, he had never pointed his gun at a human and never thought he would have to, he shared. 

Salinas was seen in now-viral footage aiming at Williams. He and an unnamed off-duty state trooper both jumped into action and ultimately saved the lives of others, Twin Falls Police Chief Matthew Hicks said on Sunday. 

An off-duty state trooper and an armed civilian have been praised for their ‘heroic’ actions after saving lives during the terrifying In-N-Out shooting in Idaho. 

The courageous men, who have not been named, both fired shots at the suspect, Chad Williams, after he opened fire at the restaurant on Saturday around 2.30pm in Twin Falls, Police Chief Matthew 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.’    

The civilian was seen pointing his gun at Williams while he aimed a camouflaged AR-style rifle at innocent customers and employees in the drive-thru and parking lot, footage showed. 

Williams, 24, killed three people, including a beloved employee, the franchise owner revealed. 

Seven others were left injured in the rampage. Two of them were taken to the hospital and later released, the agency said. 

Three others were stable after the shooting, and the remaining two have been left in critical condition. 

Chad Williams, 24, opened fire at the fast food restaurant on Saturday afternoon in Twin Falls. Police are ‘confident’ he acted alone in the massacre, Police Chief Matthew Hicks said

The armed civilian was caught on camera pointing his gun at Williams during the incident

Williams killed three people, including a beloved employee, the franchise owner previously revealed

Williams died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after turning the weapon on himself. Authorities are ‘confident’ he acted alone, Twin Falls Police Chief Matthew Hicks said.

‘We believe their actions helped drive the suspect away from the scene, preventing further casualties,’ he said. 

Lane Koehn told NBC News that he saw the civilian shooting at Williams. 

‘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. 

Terry Dudley is the only victim who has been identified so far. He was injured in the attack, and ‘has a very long road ahead of him,’ North Star Taxi, the company he works for, said

‘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.

Terry Dudley is the only victim who has been identified so far. He was injured in the attack, and ‘has a very long road ahead of him,’ North Star Taxi, the company he works for, said. 

‘Our driver Terry Dudley was the victim of a mass shooting Saturday,’ the business revealed, adding that it will be closed for the next couple of days because of that. 

Dudley was charging his Tesla when he was suddenly shot in the back twice, a GoFundMe page stated. 

‘In a matter of moments, an ordinary day became a nightmare that no family should ever have to endure,’ it continued. 

No other victims have been identified as police continue to work on notifying their relatives. 

Police found the body of the suspected gunman in an area near the restaurant, Twin Falls city public information officer Josh Palmer previously said. 

A clip also showed Williams opening fire from the drive-thru, sending dozens of terrified witnesses scrambling for their lives

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

Video from the scene showed a second shooter firing at the suspect with a handgun, with witnesses claiming he was a heroic citizen who shot back at the gunman and helped victims get to safety.

Another clip also showed Williams opening fire from the drive-thru, sending dozens of terrified witnesses scrambling for their lives. 

Williams’ family is cooperating with police, Hicks said. 

‘Their hearts are also broken at this time,’ he told NBC News. 

The motive behind the senseless shooting remains unclear. 

Local police departments, including the Twin Falls County Sheriff’s Office, Nampa Police Department, Caldwell Police Department, Meridian Police Department and Idaho State Police, continue to investigate. 

The FBI has also asked the public to submit tips, videos, and images related to the shooting to help investigators.