Suspected shooter identified after two Idaho firefighters killed in ‘sniper’ ambush
The suspected gunman, who was found dead, was identified Monday as Wess Roley
A gunman who fatally shot two firefighters responding to a brush fire near Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, on Sunday, was found dead hours later, officials said.
The body of 20-year-old Wess Roley was discovered by Idaho SWAT teams on the east side of Canfield Mountain after firefighters came under “active sniper fire” while responding to the blaze, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press on Monday.
During a Sunday evening press conference, Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris assured the public there was no ongoing threat to the community. Deputies believe the suspect acted alone.
He was camouflaged in a “heavy brush” and smoke and appeared to be “well prepared, they are blending in with their surroundings,” Norris said.
“Based on the trajectory and based on the type of weapons that this individual had that we could recover, we believe only the one shooter.”
The sheriff confirmed the deaths of a firefighter from the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department and another from the Kootenai County Fire and Rescue. Neither of the victims has been publicly identified.
A third Coeur d’Alene firefighter is out of surgery and described as being in a stable condition as he continues “fighting for his life.”
“This was a total ambush,” Norris said. “These firefighters did not have a chance.”
Meanwhile, fire crews continued to battle what has been called the Nettleton Gulch Fire into Monday morning, which the Idaho Department of Land said had scorched about 20 acres.
Firefighters were dispatched to Canfield Mountain after receiving a call from a man alerting them to a fire at about 1.21 p.m. Authorities said they were unsure if the caller was the shooter as police probe whether the fire was set to lure first responders to the area.
About 40 minutes later, firefighters were taking “sniper fire,” Norris told reporters on Sunday afternoon.
Officers exchanged gunfire with the shooter for approximately 90 minutes as around 300 local and federal law enforcement officers descended on the scene while the fire continued to burn.
Norris said that he feared a “multi-day situation” if the active threat continued.
A gunman was suspected in a “heavy brush” and appeared to be “well prepared, they are blending in with their surroundings,” the sheriff continued.
The shots appeared to come from high-powered rifles and modern sporting rifles, he said, initially believing the gunfire to be coming from multiple positions.
Authorities learned of the dead suspect at about 7.40 p.m. after tracking a cell phone signal which had been in the same location since 3.16 p.m.
Shelter in place orders for Canfield Mountain Trailhead and the surrounding areas were lifted following the discovery of Roley’s body, though an active wildfire remained on Canfield Mountain.
In a statement posted to its official X (Twitter) account, the International Association of Fire Fighters said firefighters were “ambushed in a heinous act of violence.”
“Please keep them, their families, and law enforcement in your prayers,” the statement added.
Homeland security secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement to The Independent that the “Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is actively monitoring the scene in Coeur d’Alene.”
“Pray for Idaho’s first responders,” she added. “Justice will be served.”
A DHS helicopter was seen among the law enforcement assets arriving on the scene, alongside armored vehicles and numerous SWAT police. FBI deputy director Dan Bongino said on X that he had deployed “assets” to “provide tactical and operational support.”
U.S. Forest Service law enforcement and firefighting personnel also assisted in the response, secretary of agriculture Brooke Rollins wrote on X.
Smoke could be seen in the air above Canfield Mountain, a popular hiking and biking destination on the outskirts of the 55,000-person city.
Fire crews were unable to continue fully battling the blaze until the security threat was over, according to officials. The blaze has scorched about 20 acres, authorities said.
Idaho officials condemned the violence and prayed for the safety of the wounded and the first responders at the scene.
“I am monitoring the horrific reports out of Coeur d’Alene this evening,” Senator Mike Crapo wrote on X. “I urge local residents to follow recommendations of law enforcement. My prayers are with victims and first responders.”
A large group of fire trucks and ambulances was seen outside Kootenai Health hospital in Coeur d’Alene.
The hospital toldThe New York Times that the individuals killed in the shooting, as well as a third person who was injured, were brought into the facility.
An infamous 11-day stand-off in 1992 between Randy Weaver and federal agents in Northern Idaho, about 75 miles north of Canfield Mountain at Ruby Ridge, resulted in three deaths and helped kick off the modern-day right-wing militia movement.
The Independent has requested additional information from the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department and Northern Lakes Fire Protection District.