Idaho police release new details on ambush shooting that killed 2 firefighters

3 days ago 9

Law enforcement authorities successful Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, are holding a quality league to stock the latest connected their probe aft a fishy allegedly ambushed firefighters connected the job, sidesplitting 2 of them and critically injuring a third.

The firefighters were responding to the Nettleton Gulch Fire connected Sunday day successful a fashionable recreation country astatine Canfield Mountain erstwhile a gunman perched successful a sniper presumption began firing astatine them, Kootenai County Sheriff Robert Norris said. The sheriff said helium believes the fishy started the occurrence to lure the firefighters there.

"And we bash judge that it was an ambush and it was intentional. These firefighters did not person a chance," Norris said Sunday.

2 firefighters killed by shooter successful ambush portion responding to occurrence successful Idaho

The victims person not yet been identified. The Kootenai County Fire and Rescue Office is expected to clasp a abstracted quality league astatine 4 p.m. PT (7 p.m. ET) to stock much details. The wounded firefighter was "fighting for his life" aft country but was successful unchangeable condition, Norris said.

During the property league connected Monday, Norris confirmed that the fishy was 20-year-old Wess Roley.

The motive down the ambush is besides nether probe arsenic authorities look for grounds near down by the suspect. The suspect's assemblage was recovered astatine the country of the occurrence precocious Sunday nighttime on with a firearm, the sheriff said. Gunfire had been exchanged with the suspect, and it was unclear whether he'd changeable himself, authorities said.

According to a Facebook station by his mother, Roley moved from Arizona to Idaho erstwhile helium turned 18 successful 2023 to enactment for his father's tree-cutting company. In an update shared successful October 2024, his parent wrote helium was "doing large surviving successful Idaho."

In a telephone interrogation with CBS News, Dale Roley, the paternal gramps of Wess Roley, said helium learned from quality reports and different household members astir his grandson's alleged role. He described Wess arsenic "pretty overmuch a mean kid" and said the household is hoping helium wasn't involved.

He said his grandson had precocious mislaid his cellphone and did not person a "high-powered rifle."

"He had a .22 agelong firearm and a shotgun," helium said. "That's not a high-powered firearm by immoderate stretch. We're conscionable hoping there's immoderate weird circumstances and Wess wasn't really involved."

Dale Roley confirmed that Wess had worked for his father's histrion company, but much precocious was moving astatine a antithetic histrion institution successful Coeur d'Alene. He said his grandson "wanted to beryllium a fireman" and applied for a occupation with the forestry work 4 oregon 5 months ago.

He offered his condolences to the families of the firefighters who were killed.

As of Monday afternoon, the Nettleton Gulch Fire has dispersed to astir 26 acres, the Idaho Department of Lands said successful a statement. No evacuations person been ordered and nary structures are astatine risk, the bureau said, and the origin of the occurrence remains nether investigation.

Brian Dakss contributed to this report.