Suspect in fatal Idaho firefighter ambush was former Phoenix resident

Authorities in Idaho have identified a former Phoenix resident as the 20-year-old man suspected of setting a wildfire on Sunday and then killing two firefighters from a sniper position.

Authorities say Wess Roley appeared to have been living in his truck. Local police had several minor contacts with Roley, but he had no criminal history.

At a news conference in Idaho, Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris said Roley’s motive is unknown.

“We have information that he at one time wanted to be a firefighter. So we don’t know if there is a nexus to that desire and what happened,” Norris said.

Court records say Roley’s parents divorced when he was 10 and his mother received full custody. A protection order and gun-possession ban were reportedly issued against Roley’s father after a commissioner found he posed a safety threat to Roley’s mother and/or him.

Norris said Roley appeared to have shot himself.

“Roley was found to be in possession of a flint starter, and we believe that was his method for starting the fire,” Norris said.

Authorities expected to have the 26-acre fire — which is burning in a remote area — fully contained on Monday night.

2 veteran firefighters are killed and a third is in critical condition

Battalion Chief Frank Harwood, 42, who had been with the county fire department for 17 years, was killed, Kootenai County Fire and Rescue Chief Christopher Way said during a news conference Monday. Harwood was married and had two children, and he also was a veteran of the Army National Guard.

Coeur d’Alene Fire Department Battalion Chief John Morrison, 52, was also killed after working with the department for 28 years.

Coeur d'Alene Fire Department Fire Engineer David Tysdal, 47, sustained gunshot wounds and was in critical condition. Authorities said he had two successful surgeries.

After the shooting, local law enforcement agencies have offered to go on every call that the fire department goes on, according to Way.

“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," he said. “But we are taking every measure we can to ensure safety of our respondents.”

Roley had set a fire using flint, and the firefighters who rushed to the scene instead found themselves under fire. They took cover behind fire trucks.

“There was an interaction with the firefighters,” Norris said. “It has something to do with his vehicle being parked where it was.”