Why Civilian Hero Who Fired At In-N-Out Gunman Knew He Needed Self-Defense Training

The civilian hero who shot back at the Idaho In-N-Out gunman Chad Williams was identified over the weekend after using his self-defense training that he underwent after witnessing another mass shooting five years ago.

Jordan Salinas, 35, exited his vehicle and began returning fire on Williams when he spotted the gunman after seeing a crowd of people run out of the fast food burger chain, he told the Idaho Statesman. The Kimberly, Idaho, native said he used the military’s four-step “Observe, Orient, Decide, Act” approach to make his move during the shooting. Salinas and an off-duty police officer shot back at the assailant, causing him to flee. The gunman was later killed by a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

“He did not like it when bullets started firing both ways,” Salinas said. “There’s a task that needs to be done, and we’re the ones who need to do it.”

Salinas and his girlfriend pulled into the In-N-Out in Twin Falls, Idaho, on Saturday afternoon for lunch when they saw the chaos unfold. The man recalled feeling “no fear” as he drew his FN Five-Seven, a semi-automatic pistol with a suppressor attached to the barrel, from his shoulder holster and moved towards the sounds of bullets despite pleas from his girlfriend.

Salinas ducked between bushes and cars before identifying Williams as the gunman and firing at him with the officer. Salinas was involved in the shootout for two to three minutes before authorities arrived and he stood down.

Salinas works as a healthcare worker, where he is the full-time caregiver for his wheelchair-bound brother Michael. The two witnessed a 2021 shooting at the Boise Towne Square mall, where he began to work on his personal protection after noticing that gunmen typically go after “soft targets.” He expressed to the Idaho Statesman that a man in a wheelchair and his aide would be “as soft as they come.”

Prior to Saturday, the hero explained he hadn’t even pointed a weapon at an animal. 

Three people were killed and several others were wounded by the shooter, but Twin Falls County Sheriff Jack Johnson said the actions of Salinas and the off-duty officer “diverted the shooter and without a doubt saved many lives.”

“These people are true heroes in our community,” Johnson added.

The support for Salinas was overflowing, with his local coffee shop buying drinks on Sunday when word spread of his role in confronting the gunman.