What started as a routine response to a brush fireplace on northern Idaho’s Canfield Mountain turned lethal Sunday after firefighters reported somebody capturing at them whereas they battled the flames.
The gunman is believed to have began the fireplace so he may goal the responding firefighters, officers mentioned. Two firefighters were killed, and one other was critically injured.
“This was a total ambush. These firefighters did not have a chance,” Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris mentioned at a information convention Sunday evening.
The assault prompted a large emergency response and hourslong seek for what was then an unknown variety of shooters. The photographs continued after legislation enforcement confirmed up.
Authorities later recognized a single suspect as 20-year-old Wess Roley, a legislation enforcement official mentioned. Law enforcement continues to be engaged on figuring out a motive.
Here’s what else we know in regards to the focused assault:
The sheriff’s workplace acquired a name round 1:21 p.m. reporting a fireplace on the east aspect of Canfield Mountain in the town of Coeur d’Alene, Norris mentioned.
At roughly 2 p.m., firefighters deployed to the scene reported they were being shot at on the mountain, prompting legislation enforcement businesses to help them whereas the fireplace continued to burn.
“Send law enforcement right now, there’s an active shooter zone. They’re shot,” one firefighter was heard telling dispatch. “BC three is down. BC one is down. Everybody shot. Up here, law enforcement code three now up here.”
For the following 90 minutes, officers from varied businesses, together with the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, Idaho State Police and Coeur d’Alene Police Department, converged on the scene and were caught in an alternate of fireplace with what appeared like bullets from a number of instructions, Norris mentioned.
“We are actively taking sniper fire as we speak,” the sheriff mentioned Sunday.
At the time, the sheriff advised reporters that whoever was capturing gave the impression to be utilizing “modern-day sporting rifles.”
“I’m hoping that somebody has a clear shot and is able to neutralize because they are not, at this point in time, showing any evidence of wanting to surrender,” he mentioned.
Kootenai County Emergency Management issued a shelter-in-place order and requested residents to keep away from the world.
At one level, deputies who responded to the capturing pushed the suspect’s automobile down an embankment to “protect life,” Norris mentioned throughout a information convention Monday. The deputies thought it was in their finest curiosity to push the automobile so the suspect couldn’t get in the automobile and flee, Norris famous.
Idaho Gov. Brad Little urged folks to remain away to permit legislation enforcement and firefighters to do their work.
“Multiple heroic firefighters were attacked today while responding to a fire in North Idaho,” Little mentioned in a post on X. “This is a heinous direct assault on our brave firefighters. I ask all Idahoans to pray for them and their families as we wait to learn more. Teresa and I are heartbroken.”
The suspect had “a discussion” with the firefighters who responded to the comb fireplace earlier than he finally shot three of them, killing two, Norris mentioned Monday.
“It had something to do with his vehicle being parked where it was,” the sheriff mentioned.
“We’re still in the process of investigating” the interplay, Norris mentioned.
Authorities even have studies that the suspect might have been capturing at first responders from a tree, he added.
“We don’t believe he was in the tree at the time (he talked to firefighters), but we believe he engaged deputies from the tree,” he mentioned.
While authorities can’t discover proof of any sort of survivalist coaching, the suspect did develop up in an arborist household, the place they climbed a lot of timber, the sheriff mentioned.
The suspect’s grandfather told NCS that he was in being a firefighter, however Coeur d’Alene Fire Chief Tom Greif mentioned Monday his division by no means obtained an software or interacted with Roley. Kootenai County Fire and Rescue Chief Christopher Way mentioned they’re nonetheless trying into whether or not he ever utilized.
How the suspect’s physique was situated
About 300 legislation enforcement officers ended up participating in the response to the assault, together with the Idaho National Guard and the FBI. Two helicopters with legislation enforcement snipers were additionally deployed to help in the manhunt, Norris mentioned.
Around 7:40 p.m., a SWAT crew situated a “deceased male” on Canfield Mountain after officers traced a cellular phone sign picked up earlier to the situation. A firearm was discovered close by, Norris mentioned.
“We have one dead shooter,” Norris mentioned at a Sunday night information convention. “There is no threat to the community at this time.”
On Monday, Norris mentioned it seems the suspect shot himself.
Authorities imagine the person was the one shooter “based on the trajectory and based on the type of weapons that this individual had that we could recover,” the sheriff mentioned.
Norris mentioned the fireplace was “rapidly approaching” the scene the place the physique was discovered, forcing officers to “scoop everything up” shortly. Norris acknowledged they couldn’t “preserve the scene like traditionally we would like to,” however “we had to do what we had to do to preserve the body.”
(*2*)
The suspect, who was discovered with a weapon close by, used a shotgun in his Sunday assault on firefighters, however investigators haven’t dominated out further firearms of various courses because the investigation continues, in accordance with Norris.
“We know that there was a shotgun used, absolutely, 100 percent,” he mentioned. “We have some smaller projectiles, and we don’t know if that was a fragmentation of one of the rifle slugs or another weapon.” Initial studies from the scene were that firefighters were taking sniper fireplace.
When requested if the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was ready to make use of fragments to find out the place Roley bought the shotgun, the sheriff mentioned they “haven’t gotten there yet” and that they’re nonetheless processing the scene.
He was additionally in possession of a flint fireplace starter and authorities imagine he used it to ignite the fireplace that firefighters initially responded to, Norris mentioned.
A firefighter from the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department and one other from Kootenai County were killed in the capturing, authorities mentioned, whereas a third one that was injured is recovering from two surgical procedures.
Authorities named the 2 firefighters killed as Kootenai County Fire and Rescue Battalion Chief Frank Harwood, 42, and Coeur d’Alene Fire Department Battalion Chief John Morrison, 52.
Dave Tysdal, a 47-year outdated engineer who has been with the fireplace division for 23 years, is at present in vital situation at Kootenai Health Hospital, Coeur d’Alene Fire Chief Tom Greif mentioned.
“We lost two outstanding professionals of the highest quality,” Kootenai County Commissioner Bruce Mattare advised reporters, calling the capturing “senseless and tragic beyond words.”
“Their families need support,” Norris mentioned.
Harwood, who was married with two youngsters, was a member of the company for 17 years and a former Army National Guard fight engineer, Kootenai County Fire and Rescue Chief Christopher Way mentioned Monday.
Morrison served Coeur d’Alene for greater than 28 years and moved up the ranks in his division from firefighter to battalion chief, Coeur d’Alene Fire Chief Tom Greif mentioned.
Efforts to include the fireplace were delayed whereas the suspect was at giant, Norris mentioned, including that no buildings were misplaced.
Now known as the Nettleton Gulch Fire, the wildfire is at present burning 26 acres of land and hasn’t grown, Norris mentioned throughout a information convention Monday.
Containing the fireplace is “a slow progess,” Norris mentioned. “It’s very difficult terrain to get assets, ground assets up there. Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) is putting a lot of water on it from aerial supports, so that’s going rather well.”
IDL believes it’s going to have a fireplace line, or a barrier that stops a fireplace from spreading, across the blaze by dusk on Monday, Norris mentioned.
Correction:
A earlier model of this story misstated Idaho capturing sufferer Frank Harwood’s job title. He was a battalion chief with Kootenai County Fire and Rescue.