UPDATE: 11:30 a.m.: The suspect has been identified as Wess Roley, the Associated Press reported Monday, citing a law enforcement official. The AP added that the official spoke on the condition of anonymity because the official wasn’t authorized to discuss the investigation.
Original story below
Idaho firefighters were dispatched around 1:21 p.m. Sunday after receiving a call about a brush fire in the woods on Canfield Mountain near Coeur d’Alene; roughly 40 minutes later, first responders reported coming under gunfire.
‘These firefighters did not have a chance.’
Kootenai County Sheriff Robert Norris initially announced that first responders were “actively taking sniper fire,” and he added that “we don’t know if there’s one, two, three, or four [shooters].”
First responders made urgent calls for help on their radios, the Associated Press reported: “Everybody’s shot up here … send law enforcement now.”
More than 300 law enforcement officers and the FBI responded to the scene, the New York Times reported.
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Photo by ETIENNE LAURENT/AFP via Getty Images
Two firefighters were shot and killed; a third firefighter was wounded.
Norris said it appeared the sniper was hiding in the rugged terrain and using a high-powered rifle, the AP reported, adding that the sheriff said he instructed deputies to fire back.
Authorities later discovered the body of the suspected gunman with a weapon nearby. They moved the body as the fire spread. It wasn’t clear how the alleged male gunman died.
Authorities believe the gunman intentionally set the fire in order to lure firefighters to the scene.
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Norris described the attack as a “total ambush.”
“These firefighters did not have a chance,” he added.
Norris indicated the suspected gunman acted alone, and his identity has not been released. Law enforcement declined to say what kind of weapon they found with the suspected gunman.
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Photo by Mehmet Yaren Bozgun/Anadolu via Getty Images
One fatally shot firefighter was from the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department; the other was with Kootenai County Fire and Rescue. The firefighter who survived the shooting was “fighting for his life” after surgery, Norris said, but was in stable condition.
The AP said in the evening the bodies of the slain firefighters arrived in the nearby city of Spokane, Washington — and escorted by a procession of fire and law enforcement vehicles. The outlet added that firefighters and others saluted as the vehicles passed by.
Idaho Governor Brad Little (R) wrote in a post on X, “Multiple heroic firefighters were attacked today while responding to a fire in North Idaho. 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.”
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“As this situation is still developing, please stay clear from the area to allow law enforcement and firefighters to do their jobs,” he added.
Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote in a post on social media, “Thank you to our incredible @FBI agents on the ground assisting local authorities in Idaho. We are praying for all.”
A shelter-in-place order was lifted Sunday night, the AP said.
Editor’s note: This story has been edited after publication to include the reported identity of the suspect.
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