LOS ANGELES, July 1 — Officials in the US state of Idaho have identified the man believed to have ignited a brush fire Sunday and shot at responding firefighters, killing two.
The suspect, who apparently took his own life, was named as 20-year-old Wess Roley on Monday by Kootenai County Sheriff Robert Norris.
A third firefighter was also injured in the incident, which occurred on Canfield Mountain, outside the city of Coeur d’Alene in the northwestern state.
The sheriff said Roley was originally from California and had lived in various places on the West Coast.
“We have information that he, at one time wanted to be a firefighter, so we don’t know if there’s a nexus to that desire and what happened yesterday,” Norris told a press conference.
The victims of the incident were identified as Frank Harwood, 42, and John Morrison, 52, both veterans of the Kootenai County Fire Department.
The injured officer was identified as 47-year-old Dave Tysdal, who underwent two surgeries in the last 24 hours, according to Coeur d’Alene Fire Chief Tom Greif.
The sheriff on Sunday had said the fire had been intentionally set, calling it an “ambush.”
About 300 law enforcement officers were deployed to the area as the hectic scene unfolded.
Serious gun violence is common across the United States, where many states have few barriers to the purchasing of firearms, despite widespread support for greater gun control.
There have been 189 mass shootings in the United States this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive — which it defines as four or more people shot. — AFP
Idaho officials name suspect in deadly ‘ambush’ that killed two US firefighters
