Idaho shooter's idyllic suburban day-job disguise that hid his obsession with Nazis and guns

Daily Mail​

01-07-2025

Idaho firefighter sniper Wess Roley was working as an arborist and living in his van when he killed two emergency service personnel.
Roley, 20, ambushed crews that had responded to a bush fire he set off with a flint fire starter while on Canfield Mountain, outside of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, on Sunday.
At the time of the incident he was living out of his van, which was recovered at the scene, while working for a tree service in the area.
Officials say Roley, who was 5-foot-8, took his own life after killing firefighters Frank Harwood, 42, and John Morrison, 52, and critically injuring Dave Tysdal, 47, during the rampage.
His grandfather Dale Roley said his grandson came from a family of arborists, describing him as 'nervous', 'high strung' and 'kind of a loner' on Monday.
According to local records, Roley's father Jason runs his own tree service business in nearby Priest River. It is unclear if he was working with him at the time of the killings.
Former classmates have since revealed that Roley would graffiti his notebooks with drawings of swastikas and guns.
Harry Standley had attended middle and high school with Roley, telling USA Today he would play the video game Call of Duty with him.
According to Standley, fellow students recalled seeing the drawings and told the outlet: 'We were all pretty scared of him.'
Dieter Denen, who also attended school with Roley, also recalled the swastika drawings.
He told the outlet: 'We all thought he was just messing around — that that was his way of trying to stand out', describing him as trying to 'be edgy'.
Standley said Roley left high school during his sophomore year, saying he believes he was expelled over 'some trouble with a girl'.
According to him, Roley had also turned up at school with his hair shaved off, telling people he had dreams of joining the army.
'Everybody just thought he was weird. He was also obsessed with guns', he added.
The Daily Mail had published images of Roley wearing a t-shirt of a death metal band on Monday, that have links with a known neo-Nazi.
Officials said preliminary information indicates the suspect acted alone in the shooting, and detectives have not yet identified a motive.
Police said Roley was born in California, and he also lived in Arizona before moving to Idaho.
At a press conference on Monday, Kootenai County Sheriff Robert Norris shared a picture of him that he had shared to his Instagram prior to the shootings.
The photograph shows Roley wearing a balaclava with a coal-like substance smeared on his face, as well as a belt of rifle shells.
He also shared a Bjork song hours before the shooting that included a chilling warning in its lyrics: 'I'm going hunting.'
Norris said they had recovered his vehicle from the scene and said there was no sign of a manifesto inside, he did add that a full inventory was still to be carried out.
His grandfather Dale also said that his grandson had dreams of working for the fire service.
He told NBC News: 'He actually really respected law enforcement. He loved firefighters. It didn't make sense that he was shooting firefighters.
'I know he had been in contact to get a job with a fire department. He wanted to be part of a team that he sort of idolized.'
'Maybe he got rejected or something,' the stunned grandfather said, adding that his height might have prevented him from joining the department.
Norris confirmed on Monday that his department 'had information' that Roley wanted to be a firefighter.
The Sheriff also described the attack as a 'total ambush'. 'These firefighters did not have a chance,' he said.
Harwood - an ex-Army National Guard combat engineer - served the county for 17 years and leaves behind a wife and two children, according to Kootenai County Fire and Rescue Chief Christopher Way.
Morrison served the town of Coeur d'Alene for over 28 years, Chief Tom Grief said in a statement.
Kootenai County Fire and Rescue Chief Frank Harwood (pictured right), 42, and Coeur d'Alene Fire Department Battalion Chief John Morrison (pictured left), 52, were the two men killed by Roley
Dave Tysdal (pictured), 47, was the third firefighter hit and is currently in hospital in critical condition
Tysdal was the third firefighter hit and is currently in hospital in critical condition.
He has been an engineer for the Coeur d'Alene Fire Department for 23 years. Authorities said he had two successful surgeries.
Roley had never been arrested, though he'd had a brush with police for a minor trespass incident, and officers had conducted some 'welfare checks' on him.
His body was pulled away from the scene just as the blaze began to spread across the mountain.
Roley's family said in a statement: 'At this time, we, the family of Wess Roley would like to offer our most heartfelt condolences to the families of those whose lives were taken and to the community of Coeur d'Alene at large.
'There are no words that can suffice for this tragedy and the infinite losses suffered by those affected by this shooting. We do not understand why this happened or how this came about,' they continued.
'Our hearts and spirits are broken for the lost and hurting, and for our own loss as well.'
They also noted that they will cooperate fully with the investigation while they, 'deal with the grief of this heinous tragedy in our own family.'
The Nettleton Gulch Fire authorities say Roley started spread to 26 acres over Canfield Mountain overnight.
By Monday afternoon, the fire was listed as being 'reasonably contained', after first responders 'stopped significant forward progress'.