(NewsNation) — Authorities in Idaho on Monday identified a suspect after two firefighters were fatally shot and a third was wounded Sunday while responding to a wildfire reportedly set by the gunman.
The suspect has been identified as Wess Roley, 20, a law enforcement official said. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the investigation. Officials on Monday said they believe Roley acted alone.
Authorities said they had five previous interactions with Roley, some of them minor in nature.
“We don’t show any criminal history for Roley,” said Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris. “We do have some social media presence.”
Norris added that no manifesto was found in Roley’s possession or at the crime scene. He added Roley appeared to have shot himself.
The victims of the shooting have been identified as battalion chiefs Frank Harwood and John Morrison Jr. Harwood was a 17-year veteran with the Kootenai County Fire Rescue and was a former combat veteran and served in the National Guard. He leaves behind his wife and two children. Morrison started his career with the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department in 1996 and held ranks including paramedic, engineer and captain.
Dave Tysdal, an engineer with the CDLFD, was injured in the shooting. He is currently in critical condition.
Incident was ‘total ambush’: Sheriff
Norris said that Foley had an interaction with the firefighters before the shooting over his vehicle being parked where he was.
“This was a total ambush. These firefighters did not have a chance,” Norris acknowledged at a news conference late Sunday in which he offered limited details.
The fast-moving wildfire is still burning and has spread to nearly 30 acres of Canfield Mountain, officials said. Norris said his department plans to return to where the suspect’s body was found to look for additional evidence.
The sheriff’s office announced that a SWAT team discovered an individual’s body with a firearm nearby on Canfield Mountain in Coeur d’Alene after Norris said police zeroed in on a “cellphone activation.” The area where the body and evidence were found was under threat of the encroaching fire, said Norris, who added authorities “scooped up” what they could before taking off.
The first responders came under fire around 2 p.m. Sunday, about a half-hour after they responded to a call for the blaze on Canfield Mountain, Norris said.
Police agencies swarmed the area and said they took sniper fire during the ensuing standoff. At an earlier news conference, Norris said police were prepared to “neutralize” the shooter or shooters. The sheriff said late Sunday that authorities determined the sniper acted alone.
Suspect was hiding in terrain, used rifle
Norris said it appeared the shooter was hiding in the rugged terrain and using a high-powered rifle.
“When you have an environment where you don’t 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 who are there just to put out the fire,” he said.
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said via social media that FBI assets and tactical units were on the ground assisting local police. Special agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and fire investigators from Spokane, Portland and Seattle also lent assistance.
The Kootenai County Emergency Management agency advised area residents to shelter in place as the siege unfolded. Officials later lifted the lockdown order but urged residents to be wary of the wildfire that continued to burn.
Idaho firefighter shooting is ‘unspeakable evil,’ neighbor says
Mark Lathrop, who lives about a block away from Canfield Mountain, described a surreal scene of helicopters flying overhead and law enforcement stationed throughout the normally peaceful neighborhood.
“It’s a very quiet neighborhood,” Lathrop told “NewsNation Prime” on Sunday evening. “It’s a pretty close-knit community. Right now, I’m just concerned that these were our firefighters that were fired upon, from the station down the street.”
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A Kootenai County EMS vehicle travels toward an area where multiple firefighters were attacked when responding to a fire in the Canfield Mountain area outside Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, on June 29, 2025. (REUTERS/Young Kwak) -
A Kootenai County Sheriff’s vehicle blocks a road leading to an area where multiple firefighters were attacked when responding to a fire in the Canfield Mountain area outside Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, on June 29, 2025. (REUTERS/Young Kwak) -
An armored police vehicle travels towards an area where multiple firefighters were attacked when responding to a fire in the Canfield Mountain area outside Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, on June 29, 2025. (REUTERS/Young Kwak)
Commenting on reports that firefighters had been lured to the scene of a fire only to be shot down, Lathrop said, “It’s unspeakable evil.”
NewsNation obtained a statement from the Roley family’s attorney, saying, “At this time, we, the family of Wess Roley would like to offer our most heartfelt condolences to the families of those whose lives were taken and to the community of Coeur d’Alene at large. There are no words that can suffice for this tragedy and the infinite losses suffered by those affected by this shooting. We do not understand why this happened or how this came about. Our hearts and spirits are broken for the lost and hurting, and for our own loss as well. We intend to fully cooperate with authorities in seeking answers. As we also deal with the grief of this heinous tragedy in our own family, we will not be answering any questions outside of law enforcement.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
