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The suspect who allegedly Sunday in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, had contact and a brief discussion with them before opening fire with a shotgun, killing two and critically injuring a third, Kootenai County Sheriff Robert Norris said Monday.
Fire officials identified the deceased firefighters as Battalion Chief Frank Harwood, 42, and Battalion Chief John Morrison, 52. The third firefighter who was critically injured, engineer Dave Tysdal, underwent two successful surgeries on Monday, fire officials said during a news conference.
During a separate news conference Monday afternoon, Norris identified the suspect as 20-year-old Wess Roley. His body was found at the scene of the fire late Sunday night along with a firearm, the sheriff said. Norris said it appears the suspect shot himself.
As the Nettleton Gulch Fire continued to burn on Monday, the sheriff said it will take days to fully process the area, but investigators have located Roley's vehicle in an embankment near the scene. He said investigators have not yet been able to inventory the vehicle, which has "a lot of debris in there." People who have seen the vehicle say it appears Roley was living in the vehicle, Norris said.
Norris said authorities have not found any writings that would indicate the suspect's motive.
The suspect previously had five "very minor" encounters with law enforcement but had no criminal history, according to the sheriff. The interactions with officers "had to do more with trespassing, he was asked to leave and [was] cooperative," Norris said. Other interactions included welfare checks reported by property owners about Roley's vehicle, the sheriff said.
Authorities are also looking through Roley's social media presence for any clues to a possible motive. Norris said investigators have not found any connection to "Islamic jihad," disputing rumors spreading on social media.
"We have information that he, at one time, he wanted to be a firefighter," Norris said, but added that investigators don't know if that has any connection to what happened.
The families of Harwood and Morrison and the firefighting community as a whole are dealing with "unimaginable loss," Kootenai County Fire & Rescue Chief Christopher Way said during the fire department's news conference Monday.
Battalion Chief Harwood had been a member of the department for 17 years, Way said. Harwood was also a well-respected former Army National Guard member, Way said. He is survived by his wife and two children.
"This loss is felt by so many, including all of the members of his shift that worked and saw the incident yesterday," Way said.
Morrison had been a firefighter since 1996, Way said, adding that he had served the city of Coeur d'Alene for more than 28 and a half years. Way said he had the opportunity to work with Morrison two weeks before he was killed, and they had a "rare moment" to talk.
"We talked about being better fathers. We talked about being better leaders. We talked about being better firefighters," he said.
After the ambush shooting, Way said local law enforcement agencies are now going on every call with the fire department.
"I don't know that we're ever going to be able to guarantee people's peace of mind, at least for a while after an incident like this," he said. "But we are taking every measure we can to ensure safety."
The firefighters were responding to a wildfire Sunday afternoon in a popular recreation area at Canfield Mountain when Roley began firing at them, Norris said. The sheriff said investigators believe the suspect used a flint starter to start the fire to lure the firefighters there.
"And we do believe that it was an ambush and it was intentional. These firefighters did not have a chance," Norris said Sunday.
Investigators initially believed there might have been more than one sniper, due to early reports from first responders, but now say the evidence indicates it was Roley armed with a shotgun.
"We know that there was a shotgun used, absolutely, 100%, we know that for sure," Norris said Monday, noting that rifled slugs were recovered from the scene. He said smaller fragments were also found in the area, and the scene is still being processed.
According to a Facebook post by his mother, Roley moved from Arizona to Idaho when he turned 18 in 2023 to work for his father's tree-cutting company. In an update shared in October 2024, his mother wrote he was "doing great living in Idaho."
In a phone interview with TheNews, his paternal grandfather, Dale Roley, described Wess as "pretty much a normal kid." He said his grandson had recently lost his cellphone and did not have a "high-powered rifle."
"He had a .22 long rifle and a shotgun," he said. "That's not a high-powered rifle by any stretch. We're just hoping there's some weird circumstances and Wess wasn't actually involved."
Dale Roley confirmed that Wess had worked for his father's tree company, but more recently was working at a different tree company in Coeur d'Alene. He said his grandson "wanted to be a fireman" and applied for a job with the forestry service four or five months ago.
In a statement provided by their attorney, Wess Roley's family offered its condolences to the families of the firefighters who were killed and to the Coeur d'Alene community.
"There are no words that can suffice for this tragedy and the infinite losses suffered by those affected by this shooting," the family said in the statement. "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."
As of Monday afternoon, the Nettleton Gulch Fire has spread to approximately 26 acres, the Idaho Department of Lands said in a statement. No evacuations have been ordered and no structures are at risk, the agency said.
