The Citizen Who Acted

On a Saturday afternoon in Twin Falls, Idaho, Jordan Salinas was sitting in the drive-through at In-N-Out when people started running. His mind reached for the ordinary explanation first—a kitchen fire. But when employees came pouring out the doors and people began crossing the road in a dead sprint, he got out of the car. He later said it was automatic, mechanical. The only thing he remembered from those seconds was his girlfriend saying, "Don't."

A 24-year-old man with a rifle had already fired into the restaurant and was shooting at cars. A cab driver was charging toward the scene. Then the bullets started going the other direction. Salinas, a 35-year-old healthcare worker from Kimberley, had a pistol from the drive-through line. When bullets began firing both ways, the shooter didn't like it. He turned away from the restaurant, moved into the open parking lot, and killed himself. But three people still died. Seven were wounded, two critically.