Idaho’s COEUR D ALENE (AP) Authorities claim that a 20-year-old man shot two firefighters dead and seriously injured a third when they were responding to a wildfire near Coeur d Alene, Idaho, in the months before his life seemed to be falling apart.
T.J. Franks Jr., Wess Roley’s former roommate, claimed that Roley cut off his long hair and began to decline while living out of his car. Before Roley left in January, the two shared a home in Sandpoint, Idaho, for almost six months, according to Franks on Monday.
Roley, who is suspected of killing two battalion commanders whose combined firefighting careers in Idaho stretched over half a century, is said to have committed himself following Sunday’s shootings. Their coworkers are in shock at the deaths of John Morrison, 52, of the Coeur d Alene Fire Department, and Frank Harwood, 42, of Kootenai County Fire and Rescue. As a result, their agencies are now adding law enforcement to every call, no matter how routine.
Christopher Way, the fire and rescue chief for Kootenai County, stated, “I don’t know that we’re ever going to be able to guarantee people’s peace of mind, at least for a while after an incident like this.” However, we are doing everything we can to protect our responders.
Authorities said Roley used flint to start a fire at Canfield Mountain, a well-known recreational location. Firefighters who hurried to the site were hit by gunfire and sought refuge behind fire trucks.
According to Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris, there was a conversation with the firefighters. His car being parked there has something to do with it.
The FBI tracked the culprit using the data from his cellphone, the sheriff ordered neighbors to stay indoors, and two helicopters approached the scene with snipers ready to kill him if necessary. Eventually, they discovered Roley’s body in the mountains with his gun next to him. The sheriff said that he had committed suicide.
According to Norris, Roley had only a few little interactions with local police and had previously dreamed of becoming a firefighter. “There was still no motive,” he claimed.
According to Norris, he lived in Idaho for the majority of 2024 and had connections to both California and Arizona, though it was unknown why he was there.
Roley’s apartment cameras captured him hurling gang signs at Franks while they were living together, which alarmed Franks so much that he called the police.
One morning, the landlord also gave Franks a call after neighbors complained that Roley’s car had been running for roughly twelve hours. Franks claimed that Roley had forgotten about the car and was dozing off in his room.
As the remains of the two fallen firemen were transported to the medical examiner’s office in Spokane, Washington, some 35 miles (56 kilometers) from Coeur d Alene, people gathered along Interstate 90 with American flags to show their respects hours after Sunday’s shooting.
Up until the day following their memorial ceremony, Governor Brad Little ordered the state flags of Idaho and the United States to be lowered to half-staff in remembrance of the firefighters.
“We have never witnessed a horrific act of violence on our firefighters before, but all of our public safety officers, especially our firefighters, bravely face danger on a daily basis,” he added in a statement.
During a press conference on Monday, Kootenai County Fire and Rescue Chief Christopher Way stated that Harwood, one of the shooting victims, had served with the county fire department for 17 years. Harwood was an Army National Guard veteran, married, and the father of two children.
Morrison, who was also slain, had been a paramedic and had begun his employment with the Coeur d Alene Fire Department in 1996.
Fire Engineer David Tysdal, 47, of the Coeur d Alene Fire Department was critically injured after being shot. According to authorities, he underwent two successful procedures.
Coeur d’Alene Mayor Woody McEvers stated, “We are still in shock and are having a hard time understanding why someone would target unarmed, selfless public servants.”
Responders had halted major forward development by Monday afternoon, and the fire was fairly confined, according to Way. About 26 acres (10.5 hectares) had burnt, according to the Idaho Department of Lands.
For this story, Associated Press reporters Ed White in Detroit and Hallie Golden and Martha Bellisle in Seattle contributed.
