OAN Staff Blake Wolf
10:15 AM – Monday, June 30, 2025
Two firefighters were shot and killed with an additional wounded after responding to a brush fire near Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, in an ambush shooting, according to law enforcement officials.
A man armed with a rifle intentionally started a wildfire on Sunday to lure first responders to the scene where the man began shooting atop Canfield Mountain, ultimately killing two firefighters.
“We do believe that the suspect started the fire, and we do believe that it was an ambush and it was intentional,” stated Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris. “These firefighters did not have a chance.”
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Norris went on to explain that the gunman is believed to have acted alone.
The shooting lasted for multiple hours as authorities exchanged gunfire with the suspect. The gunman was eventually found dead after authorities tracked a cell phone signal which was activated in the same area the gunman was.
“We had a cell phone activation that was in the same spot since about 3:16 [p.m.], and that it was in the same area,” Norris stated. “And we honed in on that cellphone, and we saw that there was a male, appeared to be deceased, with a weapon nearby.”
“There are some helicopters that had some really good technology that were able to pinpoint where that cell phone activity was,” he continued. “So yeah, there was our federal partners assisting us in this situation.”
“We had two helicopters that were up, and we had snipers in them. So, if they had an opportunity to take a shot, then we wanted them to take that shot,” Norris added.
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino announced that the FBI assets were deployed to the scene “to provide tactical and operational support.”
“FBI technical teams and tactical assets are currently on the scene providing support. It remains an active, and very dangerous scene,” Bongino wrote in a Sunday X post.
Norris also revealed the firefighter injured in the attack is “fighting for his life” at a nearby hospital – but is in stable condition.
The fire the suspect set eventually grew to about 20 acres, Norris stated, revealing that the fires were not initially able to be put out as the focus was on the gunman.
Norris added that it is currently unclear as to whether the gunman shot himself or what the motive may have been.
“Based on the preliminary information, we believe that was the only shooter up on that mountain at that time,” he stated. “There is no threat to the community at this time.”
Chilling calls for help from the firefighters responding to the bushfire recount the early moments of the shooting as they were taking fire.
“Two battalion chiefs down, two officers injured,” one of the first responders stated over the radio.
“I have no idea where the shooters [are] at or where they’re going, in which direction. I would recommend that our units, all of our firing units, escape further down the pavement towards town, maybe a half a mile or so to a safe staging area,” a first responder stated over the radio.
“We’re going to need multiple ambulances for ALS care,” the first responder continued. “As soon as we can get law enforcement in here to get these people out, I recommend we get no less than five, five ambulances staged at the bottom. I don’t care where we get them from.”
First responders honored the fallen firefighters with a solemn procession of emergency vehicles from various regional agencies.
20-year-old Wess Roley was named as the alleged sniper who killed two firefighters and injured a third, according to law enforcement officials.
The two deceased firefighters have yet to be identified.
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