On the afternoon of the 29th, a firefighter in northern Idaho was ambushed and shot by a gunman while going to the mountains to put out a fire. The police confirmed that the suspect who had died was Wess Roley, a 20-year-old man with no fixed residence.
A gun was left next to the gunman’s body
According to the investigation, Roley set a fire in Canfield Mountain Forest Park north of Coeur d’Alene, set a trap to lure the fire brigade to put out the fire, and then shot at a group of firefighters, resulting in two deaths and one injury. Roley escaped after committing the crime, and the police launched a large-scale roundup operation. Local residents received an emergency notice to shelter in place. On the evening of the 29th, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) found Roley’s body in the woods through mobile phone positioning, and there was a gun next to it. The police could not determine whether Roley shot himself or was shot by the police during the pursuit, and finally died of his injuries.
Raleigh’s family issued a statement through lawyer Justin Whittenton saying that they could not understand why Raleigh committed a crime and that the family would fully cooperate with the prosecutors and police in the investigation.
Firefighters had talked with the gunman
Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris said at a press conference on the 30th that Raleigh used flint to set the fire, and the fire has spread to 26 acres so far. Norris said that when the firefighters arrived at the forest fire scene, they had a brief conversation with Raleigh and asked Raleigh to move the vehicle away. Later, Raleigh shot at the firefighters. During the hours, the firefighters were busy hiding behind the fire truck, but two firefighters were shot and killed, and another was injured.
The two firefighters who died were 42-year-old Frank Harwood, fire chief of the Kootenay County Fire Department, who had worked in the department for 17 years; the other was 52-year-old John Morrison, fire chief of the Kodalian Fire Department, who had worked in the department for 28 years. David Tysdal, a 47-year-old fire engineer, was shot and is in critical condition. He has undergone two successful surgeries.
Suspect lives in his car and once wanted to be a firefighter
The suspect, Rowley, lives in his car and once wanted to be a firefighter. The regional police department only has a few records related to Rowley, including trespassing and welfare checks.
Norris said that the police have not found any confession and Rowley’s motive for the crime is still under investigation.
According to the police investigation, Rowley, who was born in California, has relatives in California and Arizona. In 2024, he lived in Idaho for most of the time. As for why he came to Idaho, it remains to be investigated.
The city of Coeur d’Alene, with a population of about 55,000, is located on the border between Idaho and Washington. Community residents mourned the firefighters who died. On the way to the Spokane Medical Examiner’s Office in Spokane, Washington, on the 29th, a large number of people gathered on both sides of Interstate 90 holding national flags. Idaho Governor Brad Little ordered the entire state to fly flags at half-mast.
Rowley’s grandmother told CNN that Rowley previously lived in Arizona and moved to Idaho because he found a job trimming trees. According to court records, Rowley’s parents broke up when they divorced in 2015. Rowley’s father once threatened to shoot his wife and beat her. Rowley’s mother applied to the court for a protection order and was granted.
There have been cases of false reports and luring police officers to death in the United States in the past.
