Wess Roley, a 20-year-old who allegedly killed two firefighters, shared a sinister final warning on social media prior to the attack.
Wess Roley allegedly killed firefighters Frank Harwood and John Morrison, while critically injuring Dave Tysdal, after shooting at them as they arrived to tackle a blaze on Canfield Mountain, just north of Coeur d’Alene on Sunday, officials say, per BBC News.
Authorities believe Roley deliberately lit the fire to send emergency services to the area, describing the attack as an “intentional ambush.”
Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris told reporters: “This was a total ambush. These firefighters did not have a chance.”
Roley was later found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound following an hours-long manhunt that saw more than 300 law enforcement officers, including two helicopters with snipers, swarm the area.
His vehicle, which he was living in, was disabled and pushed off the mountain by authorities to prevent him from fleeing.
Authorities said Roley, who was homeless and living out of his car, opened fire after being asked to move his vehicle, which had been parked where the blaze was burning.
“There was an interaction with the firefighters,” Norris explained. “It has something to do with his vehicle being parked where it was.”
Investigators suspect he used a flint found near his body to deliberately start the fire and may have climbed a tree to execute the attack. A shotgun, rifled slugs, and fragments, as well as potentially other hidden guns, were discovered at the scene.
Distressing audio captured the chaos as first responders realized they were under attack: “Everybody’s shot up here,” cried one firefighter on Broadcastify. “Send law enforcement now.” Another voice added: “It is clear to me that this fire was set intentionally to draw us in.”
The Nettleton Gulch Fire grew to 26 acres but did not threaten any structures, and officials worked to fully extinguish it by Monday night.
Before the shooting, Roley had posted camouflaged photos of himself on social media, along with a chilling lyric from a Bjork song: “I’m going hunting.”
Police said they found no manifesto, per The Sun.
Roley’s grandfather, Dale, expressed shock over his grandson’s actions, telling NBC News, “He loved firefighters. It didn’t make sense that he was shooting firefighters.”
Dale added: “He wanted to be part of a team that he sort of idolized,” speculating that Roley may have been rejected from pursuing his firefighting dreams, possibly due to his height, despite his skills in tree climbing.
“He was just trying to figure his life out,” Dale told The New York Times. “He seemed to be a little bit optimistic.”
Dale described Roley as sometimes nervous, a loner, but someone who had never shown violence. “Something must’ve snapped. He did have a lot of heart,” he said.
Roley’s mother posted last October that her son was “doing great living in Idaho” after moving from Arizona in 2023 to work for his father’s tree-trimming company.
Sheriff Norris confirmed the suspect had five “very minor” interactions with police since moving to Idaho, including a trespassing incident at a restaurant.
Roley’s motive remains unclear, and Norris ruled out any connection to extremist ideology.
Our thoughts go out to the families and loved ones impacted by this tragedy.
