Authorities identify firefighter slaying suspect

The man suspected of killing two local firefighters has been identified by multiple news agencies as Wess Roley, 20. An anonymous source confirmed that name with The Press on Monday.

The suspect is believed to have intentionally set a fire on Canfield Mountain on Sunday afternoon, and then firing upon firefighters with a high-powered weapon. Two were killed and a third was hospitalized.

The suspected shooter was found dead hours later on the burning mountain. Authorities said they exchanged fire with the suspect, but how he died was not determined.

“This was a total ambush,” Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris said during a Sunday night news conference in Hayden. “These firefighters did not have a chance.” 

While authorities declined to release the identities of the two slain firefighters Sunday night, Norris confirmed that one was a part of the Coeur d’Alene Department and the other was part of Kootenai County Fire and Rescue. 

A third firefighter, also part of the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department, was injured in the attack and underwent surgery. 

“He is fighting for his life, but he is in stable condition,” Norris said. 

No other injuries were reported.