By Rudy Blalock
A wildfire call on Canfield Mountain turned into a deadly ambush Sunday when two firefighters were killed and another wounded by gunfire. Authorities have now identified the alleged shooter as 20-year-old Wess Roley, a transient who had been living out of his vehicle in the area, according to Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris.
The shooting began after firefighters responded to a blaze that Roley had allegedly set using flint. The fire, reported at approximately 1:20 p.m. on Saturday, quickly escalated into a deadly shootout when the first responders asked Roley to move his vehicle.
“There was an interaction with the firefighters,” Norris stated during a Monday news conference. “It has something to do with his vehicle being parked where it was.”
The firefight unfolded over several hours as the firefighters took cover behind their trucks. Despite their efforts, two firefighters were killed and a third was wounded in what officials described as a barrage of gunfire.
Norris identified the two deceased firefighters as 42-year-old Battalion Chief Frank Harwood, who was a veteran of the Army National Guard, 17-year member of the city fire department, and husband and father of two children. The other victim is 52-year-old Coeur d’Alene Fire Department Battalion Chief John Morrison, who was a 28-year member of the fire department.
Additionally, Fire Engineer David Tysdal, 47, was shot and wounded and placed in critical condition, having since gone through two successful surgeries.
According to Norris, Roley later died by suicide in the mountains, with his firearm found next to him.
The incident sent shockwaves through Coeur d’Alene, a city of 55,000 near the Washington border.
“We have not been able to find a manifesto,” Norris said, adding that a motive for the attack remains unclear. The families of the victims, he noted, are “in shock—absolutely.”
“They’re in shock and they’re still processing it.”
Norris said that Roley once aspired to be a firefighter himself and had only minor previous contacts with local police. Roley had ties to California and Arizona and had been living in Idaho for most of 2024, though authorities are unsure why he chose the Coeur d’Alene area or when he arrived, according to Norris.
During the manhunt, two helicopters carrying snipers were deployed, and the FBI used cell phone data to track Roley’s movements. Residents were ordered to shelter in place while law enforcement scoured the difficult terrain.
The shelter-in-place order was lifted after Roley was found dead, but authorities warned that the wildfire he started was still active and posed ongoing risks to the community.
The Nettleton Gulch Fire, which had burned about 26 acres as of Monday, continued to challenge firefighters due to steep terrain that limited the use of heavy equipment, according to the Idaho Department of Lands.
Multiple engines, water tenders, hand crews, and aircraft were working to contain the blaze, and a temporary flight restriction remained in effect over Canfield Mountain for safety reasons.
Community members responded swiftly to the tragedy. Hours after the shooting, residents gathered along Interstate 90, waving American flags as the bodies of the fallen firefighters were transported to the medical examiner’s office in Spokane, Washington, about 35 miles away.
Idaho Gov. Brad Little ordered U.S. and Idaho state flags to be lowered to half-staff until after the victims’ memorial services.
“All our public safety officers, especially our firefighters, bravely confront danger on a daily basis but we have never seen a heinous act of violence like this on our firefighters before,” Little said in a Monday statement posted to social media. “This indescribable loss is felt deeply by all those in the firefighting community and beyond.”
In a separate statement posted Monday on Facebook, the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office said they were thankful for the outpouring of support from the community and local businesses.
“Your kindness, encouragement, and unwavering support mean more than words can express,” the office said in a statement.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
From NTD News
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