BOISE, Idaho — The three armed people who took on an active shooter in Twin Falls on August 1 have been hailed as heroes. One man in particular, identified as Jordan Salinas, was seen in a viral video shooting back at the suspected gunman.
Now, like it or not, Idaho has a new slogan associated with those actions: “Idaho shoots back.” That's a motto on merchandise that quickly found its way online... but is engaging an active shooter with limited training a good idea? Idaho News 6 talked to police and gun experts about their reaction to that motto.
WATCH | Experts weigh in on "Idaho Shoots Back" mentality
The officers responding to the In and Out shooting said it loud and clear: Good Samaritans with guns made a difference.
“We believe their actions helped drive the suspect away from the scene, preventing further casualties.”
35-year-old Jordan Salinas is now famous. His outline is on stickers and t-shirts that say “Idaho shoots back.” Salinas says he just wanted to help: “My goal was to try to help as many people get home as possible.”
Salinas told the Idaho Statesman he trained to take on an active shooter ever since the deadly Boise Towne Square mall shooting in 2022. We don’t know his regimen, but Boise police told Idaho News 6 their officers train every other week with virtual reality or other “use of force” training to be prepared. Certified firearms instructor Matt Osborne says that kind of dedicated training is truly what it takes to handle the stress of what is essentially combat.
"Do 50 pushups and then try to get up and engage," says Osborne, "And see how just that adrenaline the heart rate, I’ll speak personally, I’m a great shot when I’m calm and relaxed, 50 push ups and I’ve gotta take a break or my muscles going all over the place.”
Police say training to hit a target is one thing, but that doesn’t include what’s known as the backdrop. Garden City Police Chief Tyler Domeny explains, “One of the things people don’t take into consideration is what’s behind the individual that they’re firing at. And that’s something we train extensively on is knowing what the backdrop is." One backdrop can include an innocent bystander. Another complication is the confusion a Good Samaritan with a gun can cause for officers.
“My concern when citizens get involved is police don’t know who is who," says Domeny, "We really don’t know who’s who. It’s always a sticky situation.”
“Law enforcement has such a tough job when they arrive on scene; probably all they know is shots fired, shots fired, shots fired,” said Osborne.
Twin Falls Sheriff Jack Johnson told Idaho News 6 that, in the case of the Twin Falls Shooting, all three people who were armed had their guns down when officers arrived on scene.
But mistakes have happened before, like in 2024, during a prison escape attempt at Saint Alphonsus in Boise. During that incident, a Boise police officer accidentally opened fire on an IDOC officer, thinking he was the shooter.
When it comes to the In-N-Out shooting, Chief Domeny says a citizen shooter, like Salinas, is problematic.
“I’m not in any way saying he did something wrong, but it is a concern of ours,” Said Domeny.
So, how often do citizens involve themselves in active shooter cases?
According to the ALERRT (Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training) center at Texas State University, which looked at 433 active shooter cases from 2000 to 2021, only 64 were stopped by a bystander, and most of them were unarmed. Only 12 were stopped by a bystander with a gun.
For Osborne, the answer for what to do in a similar situation is easy. "Avoid at all costs. Evade to get away if you can. And only as a last resort to protect yourself, your loved ones or innocent bystanders, then you would engage,” said Osborne.
Police have released security camera video of the actual shooting, which showed an off-duty officer and a former law enforcement officer who also engaged the shooter. But perhaps most amazing was the unarmed employee outside the visitor center who put his life at risk, distracting the shooter and allowing others to escape.
