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Idaho shooting suspect dead, his motive remains mystery | What we know
The suspect of Idaho shooting, identified as Wess Roley, was found dead. An investigation is ongoing as authorities honor the fallen firefighters.
The shooting incident in US' Idaho in which a man shot and killed two firefighters who came to douse a blaze he started has shocked not just the state but the entire country. A 20-year-old suspect, identified as Wess Roley, was found fatally wounded at the scene following a gunfight with law enforcement during which he perched himself in a tree.
Idaho Governor Brad Little ordered US and Idaho state flags to be lowered to half-staff Monday to honour the firefighters until the day after their memorial service, saying they’ve never seen a “heinous act of violence like this” directed at firefighters.
“This is not Idaho,” Little said in a statement. “This indescribable loss is felt deeply by all those in the firefighting community and beyond.”
How did the attack start?
Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris said firefighters first responded to an early afternoon report of a brushfire at Canfield Mountain, a popular hiking and biking area near the outskirts of town. A man began shooting at them after firefighters asked him to move his vehicle.
Law enforcement officials responded, locking down neighborhoods nearby and trying to find the shooter in hilly terrain that had plenty of cover, with thick brush and trees and smoke from the fire nearby.
What were the first few hours like?
Over the next few hours, it wasn't clear if hikers or other recreationists were stuck on the mountain, or if civilians had been injured in the shooting, Norris said. What was clear was the danger firefighters and responding law enforcement faced.
“We don’t know how many suspects are up there, and we don’t know how many casualties there are,” Norris told reporters at a Sunday afternoon news conference. “We are actively taking sniper fire as we speak.”
Kootenai Health later confirmed that three patients were brought to the hospital. Two were dead by the time they arrived and a third was injured.
Battalion Chief Frank Harwood, 42, who had been with the Kootenai County fire department for 17 years, was killed along with the 52-year-old Coeur d’Alene Fire Department Battalion Chief John Morrison.
Coeur d’Alene Fire Department Engineer David Tysdal, 47, was in critical condition after undergoing two surgeries.
Cellphone data played critical role
Faced with more than 17,000 square feet (1,580 square meters) of containment area, part of it burning, authorities used cellphone data to narrow their search. They identified a cell signal around 3:15 pm and noticed it had not changed location for some time, Norris said.
A tactical response team went to the location and found a deceased man with a weapon nearby. Officials believe the man was the shooter and that he killed himself, the sheriff said. Investigators said he acted alone.
Who was the suspect?
The suspect was identified as Wess Roley, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press on Monday. Wess Roley was found dead at the scene of an apparent self-inflicted gun wound.
Roley's motives remained a mystery a day after the attack.
He had ties to California and Arizona and was living in Idaho “for the better part of 2024,” Norris said. Authorities said Monday that it appeared Roley had been living out of his vehicle.
The suspect lived with TJ Franks Jr for about six months in Sandpoint, Idaho, while working for a tree service, Franks said Monday. Franks had cameras in his apartment that caught Roley throwing gang signs at them one day, which worried Franks to the point that he called police.
The landlord also called Franks one morning because neighbors reported that Roley’s vehicle had been left running for about 12 hours. Franks said Roley was asleep in his room and said he forgot about the vehicle.
Franks said Roley “started acting a little weird” and at one point shaved his long hair off completely.
The fire
The brush fire was burning close to the suspect's body on Sunday, so authorities had to “scoop the body up” before it was engulfed in flames, Norris said.
Crews were stationed around the area overnight and the sheriff said the investigation continued Monday. Norris said a full search of the area would be done to make sure no other weapons were in the vicinity.
