The ambush and deaths of those Idaho firefighters, responding to the brush fire, were pretty heartbreaking to cover this past Sunday night. For those who live in the area, it had to be a frightening experience, for not only was there an apparent homicidal lunatic roaming their remote area, but it also looked as if there might be an uncontrolled fire rampaging through their neighborhoods thanks to him.
...Canfield Mountain, a popular hiking and biking area just outside Coeur d’Alene, became a war zone on Sunday. Its thick vegetation and complex trail system presented both tactical challenges and vulnerabilities for those responding to the emergency.
Even when the sheriff announced that they'd nailed who they determined to be the assailant, at the same time, he said officers had gone in to scoop up the body and what evidence they could find at the time because the fire was rapidly approaching the site. They didn't want to take a chance on losing it all in the flames.
A 20-year-old named Wess Roley was identified by Monday morning as the dead man accused in the attacks, but information was so sparse, and speculation was running rampant.
By Monday afternoon, however, we did have the names of the slain firefighters and another who'd been seriously injured.
Our prayers go out to their families in their horrific loss, and our fervent warm wishes for a quick and complete recovery to Mr Tysdal.
...The Kootenai County and Coeur d'Alene Fire Chiefs, Chris Way and Thomas Greif, identified the two slain firefighters in a press conference Monday.
Batallion Chief Frank Harwood, 42, of Kootenai County Fire and Rescue, was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital Sunday.
Batallion Chief John Morrison, of Coeur d'Alene Fire, was also pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital.
Coeur d'Alene Engineer David Tysdal also sustained multiple gunshot wounds and was transported to the hospital Sunday. According to the Coeur d'Alene Fire Department, Tysdal has undergone mutliple surgeries and remains in critical condition.
Dribs and drabs of information about this 'Wess Roley' just dripped in so slowly, and I was hesitant to post anything that didn't come from the sheriff or authorities.
Eventually, though, interesting little bits that were real data started to emerge.
For one thing, while there had been unconfirmed and disputed rumors about his family having a restraining order against him, the sheriff did note it appeared as though Roley had been living in his truck. Additionally, there was some grain of truth in rumors of police run-ins. While they weren't of the violent nature speculation led one to believe, there were multiple instances of Roley having contact with police.
...Law enforcement in the county had five prior interactions with Roley, 20, but they were "minor in nature," according to Norris. They included welfare checks and a trespassing incident in which Roley was asked to leave and cooperated, he said.
Investigators have not yet done an inventory of Roley's vehicle, which "would be a good place to start" in determining a motive, Norris said. Responding deputies pushed the vehicle off the side of a mountain so that the suspect could not flee, and it currently remains in an embankment, Norris said.
Authorities are looking into Roley's social media presence, the sheriff said.
Roley is believed to have been born in California and has had prior residences in Arizona and Idaho, the sheriff said, noting it appeared he had been living out of his vehicle.
During yesterday's briefing, the Kootenai County Sheriff, Robert Norris, also mentioned that Roley had had words with the first responders on scene, arriving to put out the fire they now believe he started.
Today we find out that's when Roley shot these brave men - as they arrived and asked him to move his vehicle out of the way of the arriving firefighters. And they are now calling him a 'transient.'
A man who started a wildfire and then fatally shot two firefighters and wounded another in northern Idaho was a 20-year-old transient who attacked the first responders after they asked him to move his vehicle, a sheriff said Monday.
Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris offered new details about the Sunday confrontation at Canfield Mountain, just north of Coeur d’Alene, a popular recreation area. He said Wess Roley was living out of his vehicle, had once aspired to be a firefighter and had only a handful of minor contacts with area police.
Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris Says Shotgun was used in the Idaho shooting that left two firefighters dead.
— Anthony Scott (@AnthonysTown) June 30, 2025
Originally it was reported a sniper rifle was used. pic.twitter.com/z7xzCAXoAX
They also determined Roley killed himself on that mountain. It wasn't law enforcement.
His local landlord said the young man had begun to 'act weirdly.'
...Roley lived with T.J. Franks Jr. for about six months in Sandpoint, Idaho, while working for a tree service, Franks said on Monday. Franks had cameras in his apartment that caught Roley throwing gang signs at them one day, which worried Franks to the point that he called police.
“I didn’t know what to really think about it,” Franks said. “I just called the cops and had them talk to him.”
The landlord also called Franks one morning because neighbors reported that Roley’s vehicle had been left running for about 12 hours. Franks said Roley was asleep in his room and said he forgot about the vehicle.
Franks said Roley “started acting a little weird” and at one point shaved his long hair off completely.
“We just kind of noticed him starting to decline or kind of go downhill,” he said.
What social media Sheriff Norris has released confirms Roley might have been sliding off the deep end.
Idaho sh**ter Wess Roley posted a creepy picture of himself masked in camouflage with ammo, and lyrics in the background with the words “I’m going hunting” hours before his sh**ting spree - NYP pic.twitter.com/ggspvDJxlk
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) June 30, 2025
And had been for a while.
The username for the account on Tik Tok (Biarus._) was linked to an account on a Chess gaming website that had Roley’s name associated.
— Idaho Tribune (@IdahoTribune) July 1, 2025
Screenshot below: pic.twitter.com/Tig3lr6QS8
Roley had been homeless for some time. One of his contacts with police had been for living in a local restaurant, and them being called to ask him to leave.
...His encounters with police mostly had to do with trespassing, Norris said. At one point, the suspect appeared to be living out of a restaurant, Norris said, and police had to ask him to leave. Law enforcement also performed at least one welfare check on the suspect.
He appeared to be living out of his car at the time of the shooting, said Norris, adding that it was full of materials. Investigators have not yet inventoried what was in the car which was pushed down an embankment to keep the suspect from fleeing.
..."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 told reporters. "Maybe we'll find more once we do an inventory of the vehicle."
According to his grandfather, Roley always wanted to be a fireman.
Yet he could do this.
R.I.P. — Firefighters killed in Idaho ambush identified as Battalion Chief Frank Harwood, 42, of Northern Lakes Fire Dept., & Coeur d'Alene Fire Dept. Battalion Chief John Morrison pic.twitter.com/yshmi5zUAY
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) June 30, 2025
You have to wonder how someone gets so horrifically lost that they go from wanting something so normal to being a brony and a soulless killer.
And these freakish monsters are happening all the time.
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