Authorities in northwestern Idaho have identified the deceased gunman who ambushed firefighters responding to a blaze he set as 20-year-old Wes Roley.
Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris made the announcement during a press conference Monday.
Roley is believed to be the gunman who set a wildfire Sunday afternoon on Canfield Mountain, east of Coeur d’Alene, and then opened fire on firefighters responding to the blaze. Two firefighters were killed and a third was injured.
The deceased firefighters were also identified Monday as John Morrison, battalion chief with the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department, and Frank Harwood, battalion chief with Kootenai County Fire and Rescue. David Tysdal, also with the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department, was seriously injured in the shooting and underwent surgery.
Roley was found dead near a firearm on Sunday, and Norris told reporters during the Monday press conference that they believe he died by a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The motive for the shooting is under investigation, with Norris adding that at one point, Roley had wanted to be a firefighter, though it was not clear if that had anything to do with the shooting.
“Also, we don’t find that there’s any nexus to any Islamic jihad, which is also being disseminated on social media. We don’t find there’s a nexus to that either,” he said.
“We don’t have any indication of any motive at this time. And we, you know, certainly we will continue to investigate that.”
Norris added that Roley had some sort of “discussion” with the firefighters when they arrived on the scene concerning the suspect’s vehicle and which is under investigation.
A shotgun was used in the shooting, and Norris said they are seeking to confirm if other weapons were also involved. He added that they believe that Roley opened fire on the firefighters from a position up in a tree.
Authorities on Sunday said they believe that Roley set the fire, with Norris stating Monday that he was found to be in possession of a flint starter that they think was used to ignite the blaze.
They also believe Roley was living in his vehicle at the time of the attack, though they have not yet conducted an inventory of the vehicle as responding deputies pushed it off an encampment during the incident to prevent him from fleeing down the mountain.
Though a criminal record has not been found, Roley has had five interactions with local authorities, but nothing serious. “Very, very minor in nature,” Norris said, explaining that at least one was related to trespassing and some of the others were for welfare checks.
Roley was born in California, had previously lived in California, Arizona and Idaho and grew up in an arborist family, Norris said.
The fire was at 26 acres on Monday. No structures were currently threatened.
Kootenai County Fire and Rescue said the bodies of Morrison and Harwood will “return home” to Coeur d’Alene on Tuesday morning.
A procession of emergency vehicles is expected to leave the Spokane County Medical Examiner’s Office at 10 a.m. local time.
