Twin Falls police said the Chad Williams identified as the suspect in the deadly Idaho In-N-Out shooting was not a member of a fire department. Police issued the clarification as false identity claims and unverified information spread online.
Authorities identified 24-year-old Chad Williams as the suspect in the August 1, 2026 shooting near an In-N-Out Burger restaurant in Twin Falls, Idaho.
However, police warned that unrelated people had been connected to the attack because they shared the suspect’s name or had personal details circulated without verification.
Was Chad Williams a firefighter?
No evidence released by police supports the claim that Chad Williams was a firefighter.
During an August 2 briefing, Twin Falls Police Chief Matthew Hicks specifically said the shooting suspect was not a member of a fire department.
Police have not released a detailed employment history for Williams. Articles and social-media posts that identify his workplace or occupation without official confirmation should therefore be treated cautiously.
The police statement only confirms that Williams was not a fire-department member. It does not establish a complete account of where he previously worked or what employment he held before the shooting.
Who was wrongly linked to the shooting?
Police also said an unrelated active-duty service member had faced online harassment and false accusations because he shared the name Chad Williams with the suspect.
Law enforcement confirmed that the service member had no connection to the shooting.
The service member and the person involved in the firefighter claim should not automatically be treated as the same individual. Police addressed both forms of misinformation, but officials did not say that one mistaken profile caused every false claim circulating online.
This distinction matters because matching names do not prove that a photograph, workplace, military record or social-media account belongs to a criminal suspect.
What did police say about the false information?
Twin Falls police urged people to stop sharing unconfirmed names and personal information connected to the shooting.
Before the suspect’s identity was formally announced, the city warned that considerable misinformation about the shooter was circulating on social media. Officials asked people not to share information that police had not verified.
Police Chief Hicks later rejected information being circulated about another person and said that individual had no involvement in the incident.
The warning was intended to protect innocent people from harassment while investigators continued collecting evidence and interviewing witnesses.
What have police confirmed about Chad Williams?
Police identified the suspect as 24-year-old Chad Williams and said they were confident that he acted alone.
Authorities said Williams died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. His family had been notified and was cooperating with investigators.
Police had not announced a motive as of the August 2 briefing. The investigation remained active, with local authorities and the FBI continuing to collect videos, photographs and witness information.
Officers responded at approximately 2:29 p.m. on August 1 to reports of an active shooter in the area of the In-N-Out Burger on Blue Lakes Boulevard in Twin Falls.
Three victims were killed and seven people were injured. Williams also died, bringing the total number of deaths to four, including the suspect.
As of the August 2 police briefing, two injured people had been treated and released, three were in stable condition and two remained in critical condition. Those medical conditions may change as additional updates become available.
Police said an off-duty Idaho State Police trooper and an armed citizen returned fire during the attack. Chief Hicks said their actions helped drive the suspect away from the restaurant and may have prevented further casualties.
What information remains unconfirmed?
Police have not released a complete account of Williams’ employment, personal history or possible motive.
Authorities have also not verified many of the photographs and background claims circulated through unofficial social-media accounts.
The confirmed answer to the original question remains clear: Twin Falls police said the shooting suspect was not a member of a fire department. Police also confirmed that an unrelated active-duty service member with the same name had been falsely accused online.
