By Rebecca Boone and Christopher Weber
Associated Press
BOISE, Idaho 鈥� A man armed with a rifle started a wildfire Sunday and then began shooting at first responders in a northern Idaho mountain community, killing two firefighters and wounding a third during a barrage of gunfire over several hours, authorities said.
A shelter-in-place order was lifted Sunday night after a tactical response team used cell phone data to 鈥渉one in鈥� on a wooded area where they found the suspect鈥檚 body with a firearm nearby as flames rapidly approached, Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris said.
The suspect has been identified as Wess Roley, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press on Monday. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the investigation.
鈥淲e do believe that the suspect started the fire, and we do believe that it was an ambush and it was intentional,鈥� Norris said at a Sunday night news conference. 鈥淭hese firefighters did not have a chance.鈥�
Sheriff鈥檚 officials said crews responded to a fire at Canfield Mountain just north of Coeur d鈥橝lene around 1:30 p.m., and gunshots were reported about a half hour later.
Investigators said the gunman acted alone.
鈥淲e believe that was the only shooter that was on that mountain at that time,鈥� Norris said.
Three victims were brought to Kootenai Health, said hospital spokesperson Kim Anderson. Two were dead on arrival and the third was being treated for injuries, Anderson said. The wounded firefighter was 鈥渇ighting for his life鈥� after surgery and was in stable condition, Norris said.
The scene was sheer pandemonium as the brush fire burned and firefighters rushed to the scene only to come under heavy fire.
First responders made urgent calls for help on their radios: 鈥淓verybody鈥檚 shot up here ... send law enforcement now,鈥� according to one dispatch.
Gov. Brad Little said 鈥渕ultiple鈥� firefighting personnel were attacked.
鈥淭his is a heinous direct assault on our brave firefighters,鈥� Little said on X. 鈥淚 ask all Idahoans to pray for them and their families as we wait to learn more.鈥�
Norris said it appeared the sniper was hiding in the rugged terrain and using a high-powered rifle. He said he instructed deputies to fire back.
Just as the evening press conference was expected to begin, the bodies of the slain firefighters arrived in the nearby city of Spokane, Washington, escorted by a procession of fire and law enforcement vehicles. Firefighters and others saluted as the vehicles passed by.
An alert by the Kootenai County Emergency Management Office asked people to avoid the area around Canfield Mountain Trailhead and Nettleton Gulch Road, about 4 miles (6.5 km) north of downtown Coeur d鈥橝lene.
Though the shelter-in-place order was lifted, the sheriff鈥檚 office cautioned residents to be prepared because the fire was still burning.
The FBI responded to the scene with technical teams and tactical support, Deputy Director Dan Bongino said.
The Idaho House Republican Leadership said in a statement: 鈥淲e are horrified by the murder of two firefighters in Coeur d鈥橝lene, and shocked by such a vicious attack on our first responders. We are praying for them, the injured, their families and their colleagues.鈥�
Coeur d鈥橝lene is a city of 55,000 residents near the border with Washington. Canfield Mountain is a popular hiking and biking area on the city鈥檚 outskirts, covered with trees and heavy brush and crisscrossed with trails that lead into a national forest.
Fire is always a big concern for the region, said Bruce Deming, whose property abuts the trail system. When he noticed smoke on the ridge Sunday afternoon, he wondered why no firefighting helicopters were responding.
When a friend texted to tell him about the shooting, he realized why he wasn鈥檛 seeing aircraft: 鈥淏ecause they鈥檙e concerned about being shot at,鈥� he said.
As deputies set up posts nearby, Deming pointed them to a trail that starts near his backdoor and leads directly to the site of the fire.
鈥淚 just don鈥檛 want to have to wake up in the middle of the night to figure if somebody鈥檚 out prowling around my place,鈥� he said.
