Idaho authorities said the lone sniper who gunned down two firefighters and seriously wounded a third Sunday started the brush fire that lured emergency personnel to the mountain near Coeur d’Alene.
Kootenai County Sheriff Robert Norris said officers found Wess Roley, 20, dead from a gunshot wound Sunday night, ending an hours-long gun battle with the suspect who darted around the woods and shot at police and fire crews from different vantage points.
“This was a total ambush. These firefighters did not have a chance,” the sheriff said in a press conference late Sunday.
Officials did not identify the slain firefighters or the other crew member who was shot. Sheriff Norris said the male victim came out of surgery Sunday night and was in critical, but stable condition
The sheriff said a firearm was found near Roley’s body, but did not share what kind. Authorities don’t know if he was killed by police or he took his own life.
He added that it’s too early to know what the gunman’s motive was, although he did note the shooter “intentionally” started the fire that sent fire crews to Canfield Mountain.
Kootenai County Fire & Rescue Deputy Chief Pete Holley said fire personnel were doing some initial reconnaissance on the blaze when shots rang out around 2 p.m. Sunday.
“This is something that we don’t train for. It’s not something we expect. It’s not something our firefighters should have to deal with,” Chief Holley said. “In this situation, they were called to a grass fire, which is already something that we’re very anxious about this time of year, and they were doing everything the way they were supposed to do it.”
More than 300 law enforcement officers from local, state and federal agencies arrived to try and take down the gunman who rained gunfire down on authorities while hiding among the foliage.
Sheriff Norris said police helicopters with their own snipers aboard circled the area of the shooting in hopes of getting a good look at the suspect.
He said their search was assisted by technology on the aircraft that allowed officers to pinpoint the gunman’s cellphone location and concentrate fire there.
By 8:45 p.m., police said the suspect had been killed. Hikers stranded on the mountain made their way down in piecemeal fashion as authorities traded gunfire with the assailant.
Officials said the fire spread to 26 acres by Monday morning. Crews were still on site trying to contain the blaze while law enforcement addressed the shooter’s remains.
The sheriff said the gravity of the incident “hasn’t sunk in yet” when he spoke late Sunday.
“I don’t even think a lot of us in this room have processed this,” Sheriff Norris said.
Later on, he said firefighters working the incident remain “in shock” about the surprise attack.
“The entire State of Idaho grieves the profound loss of the firefighters killed in the shocking ambush,” Gov. Brad Little said in a statement. “All our public safety officers, especially our firefighters, bravely confront danger on a daily basis but we have never seen a heinous act of violence like this on our firefighters before. This is not Idaho.”
