2 Firefighters have died after a man with a sniper rifle allegedly lured them to a location and opened fire. Another remains in critical condition.
According to a report by ABC News, the incident occurred on Sunday in Idaho. Firefighters responded to a wildfire in Canfield Mountain. When they arrived, a gunman shot at them from a distance. Two firefighters died, and another was critically wounded. The outlet explains that the suspect was 20-year-old Wess Val Roley. Authorities believe he started the fire and waited for the emergency services to arrive.
ABC explains that Roley had interacted with authorities a while before the shooting when they asked him to move his car. According to a report by Sky News, Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris said, “We do believe that the suspect started the fire. This was a total ambush. These firefighters did not have a chance.”
Officers reportedly said they were “taking sniper fire” in an ambush that lasted several hours. The outlet explains that a manhunt ensued with more than 300 officers. They also had helicopter support with snipers on board. A SWAT team allegedly found the shooter’s body on the mountain. Per the BBC, authorities traced his phone to narrow down his location. Norris told reporters, “It appears that he shot himself.”
The Suspect Sniper May Have Wanted To Be A Firefighter Themselves
Authorities have not established a motive for the shooting. However, some members of his family allege that he dreamed of becoming a firefighter himself, per NBC News. The suspect’s grandfather told the outlet, “Something must have snapped” for him to carry out the attack. He reportedly said, “He actually really respected law enforcement. He loved firefighters. It didn’t make sense that he was shooting firefighters. Maybe he got rejected or something.
Roley was unknown to authorities and had no criminal history. Law enforcement had five minor interactions with him in the past, but they were for unrelated issues such as trespassing in a restaurant. Per the BBC, officers disabled the suspect’s vehicle and “pushed it off the mountain” to prevent them from fleeing the scene.