Ashley Garibay Dreamed Of Managing Her Own Store Then She Was Gunned Down Doing The Job She Loved 😭🍔📸
Heartbreaking Photos Capture Young In-N-Out Worker Beaming in Uniform Days Before She Was Gunned Down in Idaho Mass Shooting
Ashley Garibay’s smile lights up every photo her family has shared. In one image, the 23-year-old stands outside an In-N-Out Burger location in her red and white uniform, grinning ear to ear beside a coworker. In others, she poses happily with her parents and siblings or stands before a cascading waterfall, full of the joy that those closest to her say defined her life. Those same photos now serve as a devastating reminder of how quickly that light was extinguished.
On August 1, 2026, Garibay was working at the brand-new Twin Falls, Idaho, In-N-Out when 24-year-old Chad Williams opened fire. The Stockton, California, native was fatally shot during the attack that also claimed two other lives and wounded seven more. She had traveled to Idaho as part of the company’s “All-Star team,” a group of experienced employees sent to help launch new stores and train incoming staff. The Twin Falls location had opened only days earlier on July 24. Ashley was doing exactly what she loved when the gunman turned a busy Saturday afternoon into a scene of terror.
Her family released a statement that captures both their pride and their bottomless grief. “She proudly traveled to open new stores, and her dream was to one day manage an In-N-Out store,” they wrote. “She was passionate about serving Customers and left this world doing what she loved to do.” Ashley started her first job at an In-N-Out in her hometown of Stockton in 2019. By 2023 she had earned a spot on the traveling team that helped the chain expand. The work suited her perfectly. Colleagues and relatives describe a young woman who treated every customer interaction with genuine care and approached every challenge with determination.
“Ashley was an amazing, beautiful soul who loved living life,” the family continued. “She was adventurous, outgoing, smart and driven, never letting obstacles get in her way. She lit up a room with her bright smile and a laugh that was contagious. She was a friend to all, and no matter what difficulties she was facing, she always found a way to help others find the light in the darkness.” Those words paint a clear picture of the woman friends and relatives lost: someone who made people feel seen, who refused to let hardship dim her spirit, and who measured success by how much she could lift others up.
The family expressed deep gratitude for the coworkers and first responders who reached Ashley in her final moments. “We are heartbroken and devastated by the loss of Ashley – a devoted daughter, sister, auntie, cousin and friend – whose life was taken from us far too soon,” they said. A GoFundMe campaign launched to help cover funeral expenses asks supporters to help the family lay her to rest “in the most beautiful way.” The photos accompanying the fundraiser show a young woman full of energy and promise, making the reality of her death even harder to accept.
In-N-Out Burger President Lynsi Snyder released her own emotional statement the day after the shooting. “My heart is broken, my chest is heavy, my eyes burn from the tears I’ve shed. We lost one of our beautiful Associates tonight,” Snyder wrote. She noted that Ashley had been taking care of the company’s most important asset—its customers—when her life was taken by “a disgusting human who doesn’t value the lives of others or his own.” Snyder promised that the company would mourn with the affected families and pray for them through a painful season, while also acknowledging the trauma endured by every associate and customer present that day.
The attack began around 2 p.m. when Williams emerged near the drive-thru carrying what witnesses described as an AR-style rifle. Gunfire tore through the restaurant and spilled into the parking lot in what Twin Falls Police Chief Matthew Hicks called a “very chaotic” scene. Customers and employees scrambled for cover. One In-N-Out worker was seen dragging a wounded colleague across the pavement while others tried to help until paramedics arrived. Two armed good Samaritans returned fire, forcing Williams to retreat. He was later found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Authorities confirmed he acted alone.
Christopher Claunch, 59, was also killed in the shooting. The 59-year-old from Hagerman, Idaho, had been excited to visit the new restaurant for the first time. Seven other people were wounded. Among the survivors was another young California woman who had traveled with Ashley as part of the same All-Star training team. She later told her parents she was alive but that one of her coworkers had been shot—an agonizing confirmation of the loss that was still unfolding.
For Ashley’s family, the days since the shooting have been filled with the impossible task of planning a funeral for a 23-year-old who still had so many dreams ahead. She wanted to manage her own In-N-Out store. She wanted to keep traveling, keep serving customers, keep lighting up rooms with that unmistakable smile. Instead, those who loved her are left holding photographs of a young woman in uniform, beaming with pride in the job that brought her so much purpose.
The images released by the Garibay family do more than document a life. They force the public to confront the human cost of random violence. Behind every mass shooting statistic is a person like Ashley—someone who showed up for work, who took pride in doing her job well, who made the people around her feel brighter simply by being present. Her coworkers will remember the way she laughed. Her family will remember the daughter, sister, and auntie who always found light even in difficult times. And the rest of us are left staring at photos of a young woman who never got the chance to manage that store she dreamed of running.
The newly opened Twin Falls In-N-Out was supposed to represent growth and excitement for the chain and the community. Instead it became the place where Ashley Garibay’s life ended while she was doing the work she loved. Her family’s statement ends with gratitude for those who comforted her at the end, but the deeper message is one of irreplaceable loss. A bright, driven, kind-hearted 23-year-old is gone. The photos of her smiling in uniform will remain, a permanent record of the joy she carried and the future that was stolen in a matter of minutes on an ordinary Saturday afternoon.
