Idaho authorities said Monday that a lone gunman talked to firefighters before fatally shooting two crew members and seriously wounding a third in an ambush near Coeur d’Alene, an attack that started with the suspect igniting the brush to lure emergency personnel to the area.
Kootenai County Sheriff Robert Norris said firefighters first encountered Wess Roley, 20, when they asked him to move his vehicle away from the blaze on Canfield Mountain early Sunday afternoon.
The assailant responded by pulling out a shotgun and unloading a deadly barrage on the crew members, who scrambled for cover behind their work vehicles.
“We know that there was a shotgun used, absolutely, 100 percent,” the sheriff said, adding that authorities found “some smaller projectiles, and we don’t know if that was a fragmentation of one of the rifle slugs or another weapon.”
The surprise attack set off an hours-long gun battle with police in which the suspect darted around the woods and perched himself in trees to take aim at emergency officials, authorities said.
The sheriff said Roley killed himself shortly before 9 p.m. MDT Sunday, ending the chaotic shootout that brought more than 300 law enforcement officials from local, state and federal agencies to try and take out the gunman.
“This was a total ambush. These firefighters did not have a chance,” Sheriff Norris 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.
Authorities said a firearm was found near Roley’s body, but did not identify what kind.
The shooter’s motive also remains unclear, the sheriff said. He said Roley had applied unsuccessfully to become a firefighter but didn’t know whether that was a factor in the shooting.
No manifesto has been linked to the suspect, and Roley has no criminal record in California, Arizona and Idaho, the three states where he has lived. He’d been in Idaho for about a year.
“We do not understand why this happened or how this came about. Our hearts and spirits are broken for the lost and hurting, and for our own loss as well,” Roley’s stepfather, Tony Cuchiara, said in a statement released through his attorney. “Our hearts and spirits are broken for the lost and hurting, and for our own loss as well.”
Police said they hope Roley’s car — which deputies pushed down an embankment to prevent him from escaping — may provide some clues.
The vehicle remains at the scene and has not yet been searched. Authorities said Roley was likely living out of the car.
Sheriff Norris did note that the gunman used a flint fire starter to ignite the brush that brought firefighters to the 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.”
Police said Roley rained gunfire down on authorities while hiding among the foliage.
In a now-deleted Instagram post, Roley crouched and took a selfie of himself wearing a mask, camouflage and dark makeup. The photo had the song “Hunter” by Bjork playing while it was being viewed.
Sheriff Norris said the Roley’s social media had been “wiped.” He said he wasn’t sure who deleted his accounts.
The sheriff 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.
By 8:45 p.m., police said, the suspect was dead. Hikers stranded on the mountain made their way down in piecemeal fashion as authorities traded gunfire with the assailant.
Officials said the fire is contained, but had spread across 26 acres by Monday afternoon. 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.”
