Suspect in Deadly Idaho Firefighter Ambush Identified: ‘Something Must Have Snapped’
A 20-year-old man named Wess Roley has been identified as the assailant responsible for ambushing firefighters in the Idaho wilderness, resulting in the deaths of two firefighters and injuries to a third. Authorities, led by Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris, believe that Roley set a fire to draw the firefighters into the attack, although the motivations behind his actions remain unclear. An interaction with the firefighters related to his vehicle may have preceded the shooting. After an exchange of gunfire, Roley’s body was found, and it is indeed suspected that he may have shot himself. Sheriff Norris described the ambush as unexpected, stating the firefighters had no chance. Roley’s grandfather expressed disbelief over the incident, noting that his grandson respected law enforcement and had previously aspired to be a firefighter. The family is still trying to understand what might have led to his violent behavior.
Police have identified the 20-year-old man who killed two firefighters and wounded a third in the rugged Idaho countryside near Coeur D’Alene, but remain uncertain why he opened fire in Sunday’s deadly ambush.
Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris said they believe something happened before Wess Roley set a fire that was used to lure firefighters to the ambush he had prepared, according to NBC.
“There was an interaction with the firefighters,” Norris said. “It had something to do with his vehicle being parked where it was.”
Roley’s body was found Sunday. Police believe Roley shot himself, but they have not ruled out that he was shot during an hours-long exchange with law enforcement.
“It appears right now, we have a shotgun that was used, but we’re still processing the scene,” Norris said.
“This was a total ambush,” he said, according to USA Today. “These firefighters did not have a chance.”
“We know he was a transient here. We know he lived here for the better part of 2024, but in terms of how he got here, why he chose this place, we don’t know,” Norris said, indicating Roley lived out of his vehicle. “Maybe we’ll find more once we do an inventory of the vehicle.”
He said, Roley had minor interactions with law enforcement.
Also, Roley “at one point wanted to be a firefighter,” Norris said, adding, “We don’t know if there’s a nexus between that desire and what happened.
Roley’s grandfather, Dale Roley, believes “something must have snapped” for his grandson to have ambushed firefighters, NBC reported.
“He actually really respected law enforcement,” Dale Roley said. “He loved firefighters. It didn’t make sense that he was shooting firefighters. Maybe he got rejected or something.”
Dale Roley said his grandson attended high school in Phoenix, Arizona, where his mother resides; lived with him in Oklahoma for a few months last year; then moved to Idaho to be near his father.
“I know he had been in contact to get a job with a fire department,” Dale Roley said. “He wanted to be part of a team that he sort of idolized.”
Dale Roley said the incident is beyond the realm of expectation.
“No one had any idea this was possible,” he said, according to KHQ.
Dale Roley said the victims “didn’t deserve it,” according to ABC.
“I feel more sad for the people that got killed than I do for him because they didn’t — They didn’t deserve it. It was just, they didn’t go to war. This wasn’t part of their job description,” he said.
Roley’s family issued a statement through attorney Justin Whittenton.
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