The family of Wess Roley has spoken out after he allegedly carried out a shooting that claimed the lives of two firefighters.
Roley, who had reportedly dreamed of becoming a forest firefighter himself, is accused of starting the fire on Canfield Mountain on Sunday, June 30, to bait first responders into the area before opening fire on them with sporting rifles, per BBC News.
The attack killed Battalion Chief John Morrison and Battalion Chief Frank Harwood, while critically injuring firefighter Dave Tysdal.
Authorities described the incident as an “intentional ambush,” with Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris stating: “This was a total ambush. These firefighters did not have a chance.”
Chaos unfolded after firefighters arrived at the scene around 2:00PM and were met with gunfire, with distressing audio capturing one firefighter crying: “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.”
Over 300 local, state, and federal officers, including two helicopters with snipers, descended on the area as a manhunt ensued.
By 3:15PM, Roley’s cellphone signal led a SWAT team to his location, where he was found dead alongside a weapon.
Authorities later confirmed that Roley had died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, with a flint found near his body believed to have been used to start the fire.
A shotgun, rifled slugs, and fragments were recovered at the scene, and police believe other guns may still be hidden in the area.
Roley, who was reportedly homeless and living out of his vehicle, had posted camouflaged photos of himself on social media prior to the attack, alongside the chilling Bjork lyric: “I’m going hunting.”
His grandfather, Dale Roley, broke his silence, telling The New York Times he was “stunned” to learn his grandson could be behind the attack, adding: “He was just trying to figure his life out. He seemed to be a little bit optimistic.”
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.
The young man had moved to Idaho in 2023 to work for a tree-trimming company and had dreams of becoming a firefighter.
“He wanted to be a fireman – he was doing tree work and he wanted to be a fireman in the forest,” Dale told CNN. “As far as I know, he was actually pursuing it.”
Dale said Roley “loved firefighters,” adding: “It didn’t make sense that he was shooting firefighters.”
He speculated that his grandson may have been rejected from the fire service, possibly due to his height, which could have hurt him deeply.
“Something must have snapped,” Dale reflected. “He did have a lot of heart. I feel real terrible for those killed.”
Residents have since lined the streets holding American flags as the motorcade carrying the victims passed through.
Idaho Governor Brad Little expressed the state’s grief: “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 go out to every person impacted by this tragedy.