COEUR D ALENE (Review/Spokesman) According to a Spokesman-Review law enforcement source who spoke on condition of anonymity, Wess Roley, 20, is the suspect in the heinous mountain shooting that killed two Idaho firemen and injured another.
According to the source, the man has connections to Bonner County, Idaho. Authorities are still trying to learn more, but they think he has lived in his truck at some point during the last two years.
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On Monday, national media outlets independently verified the identify of the suspected shooter.
Two firemen from the Kootenai County Fire and Rescue and the Coeur d Alene Fire Department are thought to have been shot and murdered by Roley on Sunday when they were responding to a brush fire on Canfield Mountain, east of Coeur d Alene. By 2 p.m., crews reported that they were being shot at after responding at 1:21 p.m.
Kootenai County Sheriff Robert Norris stated on Sunday that another department firefighter was in the hospital, fighting for their life.
Northern Lakes Fire Chief Pat Riley told The Spokesman-Review that officials think the fire was created on purpose to entice the firemen to launch an ambush-style attack.
Norris informed reporters on Sunday night that these firemen had no chance.
The shooting’s motivation is yet unknown.
According to Norris, the suspect and law enforcement personnel who descended on the mountain engaged in gunfire. A cell phone that had been in one spot on the mountain since 3:16 p.m. was eventually located, according to Norris. They discovered their suspect dead with a gun beneath his body after tracking down the phone. According to Norris, it’s uncertain if he committed suicide.
The identities of the firefighters are unknown.
