An Idaho community is in mourning after a shocking ambush left two firefighters dead and another critically injured in what officials have described as a “total ambush”.
On June 29, Kootenai County Fire and Rescue Chief Frank Harwood and Coeur d’Alene Fire Department Battalion Chief John Morrison were killed, while firefighter Dave Tysdal is recovering from two surgeries, according to Coeur d’Alene Fire Chief Tom Greif.
The tragedy began around 1:21PM when firefighters responded to a reported brush fire on the east side of Canfield Mountain near Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, a community of 57,000. By 2:00PM, shots rang out.
Chaos erupted as over 300 local, state, and federal officers, including two helicopters with snipers, descended on the scene while firefighters were forced to retreat for safety.
As distressing audio captured, one firefighter pleaded: “Everybody’s shot up here. Send law enforcement now.” Another voice added: “It is clear to me that this fire was set intentionally to draw us in,” per BBC News.
Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris described the horror, saying: “This was a total ambush. These firefighters did not have a chance.”
A Six-Hour Manhunt Ends in Suspect’s Death
By 3:15PM, authorities used a cellphone signal to track the suspect’s location, leading a SWAT team to discover the body of 20-year-old Wess Roley alongside a weapon by 7:40PM Roley, who reportedly died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, was believed to have started the fire using a flint found near his body.
Officials recovered a shotgun, rifled slugs, and fragments at the scene, with concerns that more weapons may be hidden in the area.
The brush fire, left to burn during the chaos, grew to 26 acres before being contained.
Who Was Wess Roley?
Roley, described by authorities as a transient living out of his car, had a history of “minor” run-ins with police, mostly trespassing incidents.
Sheriff Norris revealed: “The suspect at one point wanted to be a firefighter,” adding: “We don't know if there's a nexus between that desire and what happened.”
Former classmates recalled Roley’s “Nazi tendencies” and obsession with guns, painting a troubling picture of a young man who posted camouflaged photos of himself online alongside the chilling Bjork lyric: “I’m going hunting.”
Family has stated that Wess graduated from high school in Arizona, before moving to live with his grandfather in Oklahoma for nearly nine months.
After this, Wess moved to Idaho - where his father lives - and started working for a tree company.
Family Speaks Out: “He Did Have a Lot of Heart”
Roley’s grandfather, Dale, expressed disbelief over his grandson’s actions, telling The New York Times he was “stunned” by the news. “He was just trying to figure his life out. He seemed to be a little bit optimistic.”
Speaking with CNN, Dale shared that Roley had moved to Idaho in 2023 to work for a tree-trimming company and had aspirations of firefighting.
“He wanted to be a fireman – he was doing tree work and he wanted to be a fireman in the forest,” he said. “As far as I know, he was actually pursuing it.”
Dale added: “He loved firefighters. It didn’t make sense that he was shooting firefighters,” and speculated that rejection from the fire service, possibly due to his height, may have hurt him deeply.
“Something must have snapped,” he reflected. “He did have a lot of heart. I feel real terrible for those killed.”
Dale shared that he and his grandson were close and kept in constant contact until Roley lost his phone last month, leading to a break in communication. He admitted that his grandson had become "kind of a loner" in the last six months, per ABC News.
Honoring the Fallen Heroes
Harwood, 42, was a 17-year veteran of Kootenai County Fire and Rescue and leaves behind a wife and two children. “He did an amazing job,” Chief Christopher Way said per USA Today.
He added: “This loss is felt by so many.”
Morrison, 52, had been with the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department since 1996. Gabe Eckert, president of the Coeur d’Alene Firefighters' union, recalled sharing cigars with Morrison recently.
“We talked about being better fathers, we talked about being better leaders, and we talked about being better firefighters,” Eckert said. “I’m so incredibly grateful that that gets to be my last memory with him.”
Idaho Governor Brad Little shared the state’s grief in a statement: “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. This is not Idaho.
“This indescribable loss is felt deeply by all those in the firefighting community and beyond.”
Our thoughts continue to be with all those impacted by this tragedy.