What the gunman didn't expect: Idaho hero Jordan Salinas reveals when the tables turned

TWIN FALLS, IDAHO: Jordan Salinas was not looking for a fight when he went to an Idaho In-N-Out Burger.

But when he saw a rifle pointed toward passing vehicles, he understood that the situation had crossed a line.

In the seconds that followed, the 35-year-old healthcare worker and caregiver made a choice that would put him directly in the path of danger.

As he spoke about the shooting to ABC News on Monday, August 3, Salinas said the gunman’s confidence disappeared almost as quickly as the confrontation began.

Jordan details heroic confrontation

Salinas told ABC News that he first caught sight of Chad Williams while looking around a roadside sign near the restaurant.

What he saw was alarming: Williams was holding a rifle and directing it toward vehicles moving along the road.

Salinas watched long enough to understand that the threat was not contained to one person or one location.

Anyone driving past could potentially find themselves in the gunman's sights. That was the moment the situation became personal.

Salinas was carrying a pistol. He decided to use it. The confrontation changed almost instantly.

Salinas said Williams had initially appeared remarkably composed while holding the rifle. 

But once shots were coming back in his direction, the gunman no longer appeared to have the same control of the situation.

"He seemed unusually comfortable aiming that rifle at those cars. As soon as some rounds start coming at him, everything changed."

“All that bravado he had immediately crumbled,” Salinas said.

The description captures the strange reversal that unfolded outside the restaurant. A man who had appeared to have complete control of the scene suddenly had to react to someone resisting him.

Preparation behind Salinas’ split-second choice

What makes Salinas’ story particularly unusual is what he was doing long before the shooting.

He is a healthcare worker from Kimberly, Idaho, and the primary caregiver for his brother, who uses a wheelchair.

That responsibility had already changed the way Salinas thought about personal safety.

After the 2021 shooting at Boise Towne Square Mall, which left two people dead, he began taking firearms training seriously. He had a specific concern in mind: what would happen if someone targeted people who were less able to escape quickly?

Salinas began training regularly on weekends in the desert near Eden.

The practice was not about becoming a vigilante. He has said that before the Twin Falls attack, he had never even pointed his firearm at an animal.

Salinas has since described the strangest part of the encounter: he did not remember feeling afraid.

Salinas said his mind became focused on the immediate problem rather than on what might happen to him.

“There’s a task that needs to be done, and we’re the ones who need to do it,” he previously said.

His girlfriend, Emily Cohelo, was also nearby when the shooting unfolded. Salinas has recalled that the last thing he remembers hearing before moving toward the gunfire was her calling his name.