There’s already been a lot written about this incident, much of it by people much smarter than me, but I wanted to quickly share my thoughts and takeaways from the In-N-Out incident in Twin Falls, ID. To start, nothing that I say here is intended to disparage or second-guess the three men who heroically moved to the sound of gunfire and faced evil head-on. I’m simply observing what took place and drawing lessons from those observations. I’m also not trying to deflect any responsibility for the deaths and injuries to anyone other than the murderer, who I will not name, and whose face I have blacked out.
Video of the incident begins at about the 4:25 mark.
So, what do I think we can learn?
1) The most important lesson first: the first victim was ambushed when she opened the drive-thru window to interact with the customer/murderer. It doesn’t appear there was anything at all that she could have done. The second victim was similarly ambushed while in his car. Evil is a reality of our world. Know Christ, know he died for you, and trust in the eternal salvation he offers. Ultimately, our time here is fleeting, with eternity waiting on the other side of this life. Give your life to Christ, and no matter when or how your life on this world ends, it will only be the beginning for you.
2) I always tell people to decide now, when they’re calm and reasonable, how they hope/plan to respond to all manner of incidents, including ones like this. If you don’t believe you can or want to get involved in something like this, you need to have established that beforehand. You don’t want to get involved in a mass killing incident half-heartedly. If you’re in, you need to be in; if you’re out, you need to be out. Completely.
On that note, if you decide you’re not getting involved, you need to get away, quickly. Not just to clear the scene up for those who are responding, but for your own safety. In most parts of this country, gunshots in public are not normal; if you hear them, you need to get as far away as possible. Don’t video, don’t linger, don’t gawk, don’t freeze. Accept the reality of what is happening and get away if safely possible. If not, shelter and hide as best you can. The shooter shot people he could see. There were people in some of the buildings he went into, but they weren’t immediately visible, and he moved on.
3) The first person to challenge the killer was not carrying with a round in the chamber. He was shot in his strong arm/shoulder, had to draw his gun with his off hand, and was not able to chamber a round. Is it possible to chamber a round one-handed? Yes. Is it easier to simply have a round chambered? Absolutely. Carry with a round in the chamber. Practice your one-handed shooting, with each hand.
4) The second person to interdict the shooter missed from approximately 5 yards. Your marksmanship on a calm, flat range has to be far better than you think you’ll need in an incident like this. If you can barely hit a target on a perfect day, your accuracy will not get better on a day like this; it will be worse.
Also, the misses did not end the fight or the incident. Multiple people were killed and wounded after this exchange. I have no doubt the appearance of these heroes saved lives by distracting the killer and forcing him to adapt, but there would have been fewer casualties if the killer had been stopped here. Again, I’m not disparaging, just observing. As I’ve said before, your assailant may be completely unimpressed with your gun, your shooting at them, and your misses. Misses don’t stop killers; anatomically significant hits do.
5) When moving through a crowd, keep in mind that the safest direction to have your muzzle may very well be up. Practice using, moving, and presenting from various ready positions, including temple index and high ready.
6) If you’re going to render aid while the scene is unsecured, be aware that you are risking your life to do so. Those individuals should be commended just like the three men who challenged the killer.
7) Thankfully, the killer’s pistol had a malfunction. But we need to train for the same possibility. Can you quickly clear malfunctions and get your tool back in the fight? Do you properly maintain all your carry gear and keep it in an actionable and reliable state?
8) There’s an incredibly rare “battlefield pickup” of the killer’s discarded pistol. The woman didn’t know how to clear the malfunction, so she discarded it. Preferably, you have your own tool and don’t need to procure one from a murderer, but if it came to that, do you know general firearm manipulation and not just for your specific one?
9) The killer moved a decent distance as the incident unfolded. If you decide to flee, getting out of the area doesn’t mean moving a hundred yards away; it means running, running further, keep running, and if you’re still alive, run some more. Also, notice the lulls in gunshots. Don’t assume the incident is over just because you haven’t heard anything for a few seconds or even minutes.
10) The third man (with the suppressed pistol) to engage the killer (not shown in the video above) did so from a significant distance. Do you train shooting at distances beyond 25 yards, at least occasionally? Don’t assume you’ll only need to engage targets at “typical” defensive distances.
11) Evil exists, and it can find you when you least expect it. I would suspect that none of these people- victims, heroes, or bystanders- expected to be involved in something like this that day. If they had expected it, I presume they would have simply not gone out that day.
This is why I compare carrying a pistol to wearing a seatbelt. I wear a seatbelt every time I’m in a car, not because I want, expect, or even really anticipate getting into an accident. I’ve been driving for almost 30 years and have never been in an accident that required a seatbelt to keep me safe. Yet I am fully aware that an accident can happen any time. I’m not paranoid about it, just prepared for it. Carrying a pistol is the same. I don’t want, expect, or even anticipate getting into a gunfight. I’ve lived my whole life and have never been in an incident that required a gun to keep me safe. Yet I am fully aware that evil and crazy can happen any time. I’m not paranoid about it, just prepared for it.
So, the big takeaways are:
One way or another, our lives here will end, and then eternity starts. Give your life to Jesus.
There is evil in this world.
Be prepared to rapidly accept the reality of your situation. Incidents like this may be unlikely for you, but they shouldn’t be “unbelievable.”
Have your tools on you at all times, in functional order.
Train for reality.
Give your life to Jesus.
