Idaho’s COEUR D’ALENE In northern Idaho, a 20-year-old itinerant guy started a wildfire, then attacked first responders after they requested him to relocate his car, killing two of them and injuring another, according to a sheriff’s statement on Monday.
New information regarding the Sunday ambush at Canfield Mountain, a well-liked leisure area just north of Coeur d Alene, was provided by Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris. He claimed that Wess Roley had just a few small contacts with local police, lived out of his car, and had once dreamed of becoming a firefighter.
The sheriff stated that they had not been able to locate a manifesto and that they were still unsure of the motivation.
According to Norris, the victims’ families are in complete disbelief. They’re still absorbing it and are in shock.
The firefighters who raced to the area were caught in an unplanned shooting after Roley used flint to start a fire. Although they sought refuge behind fire engines, a flurry of gunfire over many hours claimed two lives and injured a third.
According to Norris, Roley later committed suicide.
The sheriff stated, “We know that he was a transient here.” We are aware that he spent the majority of 2024 residing here. However, I’m not sure how he got here, why he was here, or why he picked this location.
On Sunday, the FBI tracked the culprit using the data from his cellphone, the sheriff ordered residents to stay indoors, and two helicopters arrived with snipers ready to kill him if necessary. Eventually, they discovered Roley dead in the mountains with his gun next to him.
Dale Roley, Roley’s grandfather, told KXLY-TV that his grandson was interested in forestry, worked for a tree firm, and loved hiking.
The victims received immediate support in Coeur d’Alene, a 55,000-person city close to the Washington border.
Hours after the ambush, while the remains of the two slain firefighters were transported to the medical examiner’s office in Spokane, Washington, some 35 miles from Coeur d Alene, people gathered along Interstate 90 with American flags in order to show their respect.
In memory of the firefighters, Governor Brad Little on Monday directed that the state flags of Idaho and the United States be lowered to half-staff until the day following their memorial service.
“We have never witnessed a horrific act of violence on our firefighters before, but all of our public safety officers, especially our firefighters, bravely face danger on a daily basis,” he added in a statement. This isn’t Idaho. Everyone in the firefighting community and beyond is greatly affected by this incomprehensible loss.
“We are shocked by such a vicious attack on our first responders and appalled by the murder of two firefighters in Coeur d Alene,” the Idaho House Republican Leadership stated in a statement. They, the injured, their families, and their coworkers are in our prayers.
