TWIN FALLS, Idaho — Families are facing a long road to recovery after a mass shooting at a Twin Falls In-N-Out Saturday afternoon — and the son of one victim is speaking out while the family works to correct false information spreading online.
Terry Dudley has helped manage North Star Taxi in Twin Falls for years. Saturday afternoon, he was charging one of the company's Teslas outside the In-N-Out when the shooting occurred.
Micheal Dudley, who was born and raised in Twin Falls and lives with his father, said he rushed to the hospital as soon as he got the call.
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He said his father was shot in the back and the bullet fragmented, hitting multiple areas. Doctors were primarily concerned about a partially collapsed lung and blood in the diaphragm. Terry was kept heavily sedated while doctors worked to stabilize him, and was later life-flighted to a hospital in Boise after a complication was discovered. Micheal's grandmother and brother were with Terry in Boise. Micheal said the family plans to visit in the coming days.
"We're fairly certain he's gonna make it out of there," Micheal said.
He described his father as someone who is deeply connected to his community — even if Terry would not describe himself that way.
"He says he's not super social, but he's pretty social. He seems to know everyone around him; well, everyone seems to know him," Micheal said.
After being shot, Terry tried calling 911 while still conscious. When he could not get through, he called his co-worker and friend James Palmer. James then called his girlfriend Lindsay Tanguy, who has lived in Twin Falls her whole life and has known Terry for about 3 years. She was right by the restaurant when the gunshots went off.
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Lindsay had just returned from Devil's Corral — a spot across the bridge from the In-N-Out — when she heard what she thought were gunshots. About a minute later, James called to tell her Terry had been shot at the Tesla charging station. She was already right there.
By the time she arrived, officer presence was already on scene. She made her way on foot toward the Tesla charging station, walking past officers who were attending to an In-N-Out employee on the ground near the restaurant. She found Terry conscious in the driver's seat of a blue Tesla. A couple had been shot in a gray Tesla nearby.
"Unfortunately, Terry lost consciousness, and at the scene, the pavement was hot, the car was hot. We couldn't lay him down anywhere. The ambulance couldn't get down to him because of the blockage, and a gentleman grabbed a car mat from somewhere and laid it under him," Lindsay said.
"It was such a chaotic scene. There was so much going on," Lindsay said.
Lindsay also said she and James know the family of another victim — a man who does security at Woody's and whose family had been visiting from Salt Lake City. They were charging their Tesla when the shooting occurred.
In the aftermath, the Dudley family and friends have been working to correct false information spreading on social media — including an obituary that was generated while Terry was still alive and in the hospital the day of the shooting. Micheal said he spent hours fielding calls from people who had seen the false reports.
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"People need to stop, like, just believing whatever they see. There was an obituary generated while we were still in the hospital, and it's shit like that that's kind of insane," Micheal said.
Lindsay echoed that frustration.
"Social media — it's been crazy to watch how social media has twisted it. Terry was "deceased," and we had to correct that, and his family was upset. It just created so much more for the family than needed," Lindsay said.
She asked the public to be patient as investigators and the family work through what happened.
"It's overwhelming stress. Give it time. We'll get the information to you when we get it," Lindsay said.
Micheal said the outpouring of support from the Twin Falls community has been heartwarming, even as the family has had to manage the misinformation.
"It's been nice, everyone kind of reaching out, showing their support," Micheal said.
He said James has set up a GoFundMe for the family, and that a dart tournament fundraiser is also in the early planning stages.
If you would like to support the Dudley family during this time, a GoFundMe link is available by clicking here.
