VIDEO: As a wildfire began to sow panic in a small northern Idaho mountain community, a group of firefighters who rushed put out the blaze instead found themselves in an unexpected shootout. A man who had intentionally set the fire to ambush the crew on Sunday was perched in a sniper position, firing at the firefighters. They took cover behind firetrucks, but two died and a third was wounded during a barrage of gunfire over several hours, authorities said. First responders made urgent calls for help on their radios at Canfield Mountain just north of Coeur dโAlene: โEverybodyโs shot up here โฆ send law enforcement now,โ according to one dispatch.
Two helicopters converged on the area, armed with snipers ready to take out the suspect if needed, while the FBI used his cellphone data to track him and the sheriff ordered residents to shelter in place. They eventually found the suspect dead in the mountains, his firearm beside him. It is unknown how he died, and authorities have not yet revealed a motive. The suspect has been identified as Wess Roley, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press on Monday. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the investigation.
โWe do believe that the suspect started the fire, and we do believe that it was an ambush and it was intentional,โ Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris said at a Sunday night news conference. โThese firefighters did not have a chance.โ The wounded firefighter was โfighting for his lifeโ after surgery and was in stable condition, Norris said. โWhen you have an environment where you donโt know where the bullets are coming from because of the trees and the shrubbery and what have you, it is daunting for police officers, let alone firefighters,โ Norris said.
