Man accused of killing 2 Idaho firefighters had once aspired to be one

The Associated Press

· Posted: Jul 01, 2025 8:43 AM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

A 20-year-old man's beingness appeared to person begun to unravel successful the months earlier authorities accidental helium fatally changeable 2 firefighters and severely wounded a 3rd arsenic they responded to a wildfire adjacent Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.

Wess Roley was surviving retired of his conveyance and his erstwhile roommate T.J. Franks Jr. said helium shaved disconnected his agelong hairsbreadth and started to "kind of spell downhill." The 2 lived unneurotic for astir six months successful Sandpoint, Idaho, until Roley moved retired successful January, Franks said Monday.

Roley, who authorities accidental took his ain beingness aft Sunday's shootings, is suspected of sidesplitting 2 battalion chiefs whose firefighting careers successful Idaho spanned astir fractional a period combined. The deaths of Frank Harwood, 42, with Kootenai County Fire and Rescue, and John Morrison, 52, with the Coeur d'Alene Fire Department, person near their colleagues reeling, resulting successful their departments adding instrumentality enforcement to each call, nary substance however routine.

"I don't cognize that we're ever going to beryllium capable to warrant people's bid of mind, astatine slightest for a portion aft an incidental similar this," Kootenai County Fire and Rescue Chief Christopher Way said. "But we are taking each measurement we tin to guarantee information of our responders."

Roley had acceptable a occurrence utilizing flint astatine Canfield Mountain, a fashionable recreation area, according to authorities. The firefighters who rushed to the country recovered themselves nether occurrence and took screen down occurrence trucks.

"There was an enactment with the firefighters," Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris said. "It has thing to bash with his conveyance being parked wherever it was."

Two helicopters converged connected the area, equipped with snipers acceptable to instrumentality retired the fishy if needed, portion the FBI utilized his cellphone information to way him and the sheriff ordered residents to structure successful place. They yet recovered Roley's assemblage successful the mountains, his firearm beside him. He had killed himself, the sheriff said.

Roley had erstwhile aspired to beryllium a firefighter and had lone a fistful of insignificant contacts with country police, Norris said. A motive was inactive unknown, helium said.

He had ties to California and Arizona and was surviving successful Idaho "for the amended portion of 2024," though it was unclear wherefore helium was there, Norris said.

When Roley was surviving with Franks, his flat cameras caught Roley throwing pack signs astatine them, which disquieted Franks to the constituent that helium called police.

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The landlord besides called Franks 1 greeting due to the fact that neighbours reported that Roley's conveyance had been near moving for astir 12 hours. Franks said Roley was dormant successful his country and said helium forgot astir the vehicle.

Hours aft Sunday's shooting, radical gathered on Interstate 90 holding American flags to wage their respects arsenic the 2 fallen firefighters' bodies were taken to the aesculapian examiner's bureau successful Spokane, Washington, astir 56 kilometres from Coeur d'Alene.

Gov. Brad Little ordered U.S. and Idaho authorities flags to beryllium lowered to half-staff to honour the firefighters until the time aft their memorial service.

"All our nationalist information officers, particularly our firefighters, bravely face information connected a regular basis, but we person ne'er seen a heinous enactment of unit similar this connected our firefighters before," helium said successful a statement. 

Harwood, 1 of the victims of the shooting, had been with the region occurrence section for 17 years, Way said during a quality league Monday. Harwood was joined and had 2 children, and helium besides was a seasoned of the Army National Guard.

Morrison, who was besides killed, started his vocation with the Coeur d'Alene Fire Department successful 1996 and had besides worked arsenic a paramedic.

Coeur d'Alene Fire Department occurrence technologist David Tysdal, 47, sustained gunshot wounds and was successful captious condition. Authorities said helium had 2 palmy surgeries.

"We inactive are successful daze and are struggling to recognize wherefore idiosyncratic would people unarmed, selfless nationalist servants," said Coeur d'Alene Mayor Woody McEvers.

By Monday afternoon, the occurrence was "reasonably contained," and responders had "stopped important guardant progress," Way said. The Idaho Department of Lands said it had burned astir 10.5 hectares.