Two dead as firefighters ambushed in 'heinous' sniper attack
At least two people have died after firefighters were ambushed in a "heinous" sniper attack during a job.
The victims, thought both to be fire service personnel, were attacked at Canfield Mountain just north of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, as assailants hid in rugged terrain. Police dashed to the scene and were instructed to fire back at the thugs, who were using high-powered rifles in ugly scenes, for which a motive has not yet been identified.
Idaho's Governor Brad Little said: "This is a heinous direct assault on our brave firefighters. I ask all Idahoans to pray for them and their families as we wait to learn more."
Armed police and other highly trained units have arrived on scene in Idaho.
The FBI and US Forest Service are also actively involved in the response.
#BREAKING: Heavily armored and highly trained police units have arrived on scene in Idaho. The FBI, DHS, and U.S. Forest Service are also actively involved in the response. pic.twitter.com/qlCNZQOf4j
Firefighters were ambushed by sniper fire while responding to a blaze in a northern Idaho mountain community Sunday, killing at least two people.
The horror unleashed barrages of gunfire over several hours in an attack the governor called a "heinous" assault. The Kootenai County Sheriff's Office said crews responded to a fire at Canfield Mountain just north of Coeur d'Alene around 1:30 p.m., and gunshots were reported about a half hour later.
Sheriff Bob Norris said officials believe the two people killed were fire personnel. He didn't know if anyone else was shot.
'We don't know how many suspects are up there, and we don't know how many casualties there are," Norris told reporters at a news conference. "We are actively taking sniper fire as we speak."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Audio of firefighter calling for help after two colleagues killed: 'Everybody'
Two firefighters were killed and another was seriously injured after they were ambushed and shot by a sniper in camouflage while responding to a wildfire near Coeur d'Alene, Idaho at Canfield Mountain early Sunday afternoon The harrowing audio of an Idaho firefighter's desperate call for police backup, after his colleagues were shot dead, has captured the terror in his voice as he urgently reports, 'Everybody's shot. '. In a horrific turn of events, two firefighters tragically lost their lives and another was critically wounded when a sniper, cloaked in camouflage, attacked them during a wildfire response near Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, at Canfield Mountain on early Sunday afternoon. They became targets upon responding to the blaze. It has emerged that the assailant deliberately set the fire with the malicious intent to set up an ambush for the unsuspecting firefighters. Amidst the chaos, one firefighter made a distressing call to the police. READ MORE: What happens after we die - 'The Gateway Valley, emotional reunions and blinding light' "Hello, send law enforcement right now. There's an active shooter zone. They're shot. BC 3 is down, BC1 is down. Everybody's shot up here," voiced the surviving firefighter. "These firefighters did not have a chance," Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris solemnly declared, according to Mirror US. A member from the Coeur d'Alene Fire Department and another from the Kootenai County Fire and Rescue succumbed to their injuries while being transported to hospital. A third firefighter underwent surgery, was severely injured but clung to life, Norris confirmed. As the wilfully-set Nettleton Gulch Fire continues to burn, two more lives have been claimed and another person has suffered injuries overnight. The firefighting team remains resolute in their efforts to tackle the fire, despite 'dealing with rough terrain,' as noted by the Idaho Department of Land. Chilling photographs have emerged, capturing the terrifying moments as police quickly descended on the scene, imposing lockdowns on surrounding areas and frantically searching for the gunman. Several hours after sniper shots were aimed at federal, state and local law enforcement, the Kootenai County Sheriff's office confirmed that a 'deceased male has been found on Canfield Mountain,' believed to be the shooter. The alleged assailant was named as Wess Roley, whose death was late Sunday night after a prolonged exchange of gunfire with the authorities. A gun was found by his body, as per reports from the police. In a poignant show of unity, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho locals gathered with American flags to observe an "impromptu procession" of police and fire brigade vehicles honouring two firefighters lost in the line of duty battling blazes. The deceased heroes were moved to Spokane, as Coeur d'Alene Fire Dept reported, while residents amassed on overpasses in North Idaho in a heartfelt tribute. The identities of the fallen firefighters remain undisclosed. "We have two deaths and an unknown amount of casualties. We still have civilians coming off of that mountain. We might have civilians who are stuck or are in shock on that mountain," Norris previously mentioned. "You can expect some of these things to occur in an urban setting but in a rural setting? This is very, very, very rare," Norris later remarked at the press conference.
NBC News
3 hours ago
- NBC News
Haitians face deportation to a country decimated by violence and famine
People living and working in Haiti are questioning the Trump administration's reasoning that it is safe enough for Haitians temporarily living in the U.S. to return to their embattled country of origin. The Department of Homeland Security announced Friday that it will end Temporary Protective Status (TPS) for Haitian people living in the United States legally. 'How can DHS send 500,000 Haitians back to a country that is the most dangerous country in the world?' Len Gengel, who runs a nonprofit organization in Haiti that helps orphaned children, told NBC News. 'It's crazy. It's a war zone.' DHS Secretary Kristi Noem's announcement was the latest effort by President Donald Trump and his administration to accelerate deportations for Haitian immigrants living in the country. The TPS program was created in 1990 to provide people in disaster-stricken countries to find legal, short-term refuge in the United States. Its abrupt end means deportation for immigrants of 17 other countries, too, including Sudan, Lebanon and Afghanistan. Haitians are expecte to leave by September 2 More than 1,800 people were kidnapped and 8,200 killed in Haiti since gang violence escalated in March of last year; a record 1.3 million people are currently homeless, according to the United Nations. Armed gangs seized control over much of the capital, Port-au-Prince, after the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse on July 7, 2021.. Since Moïse's assasination, the country has been in relentless turmoil, with no discernable government, as it endures extreme violence, hunger and homelessness. According to a recent report from the International Organization for Migration, there has been a 24% increase in displaced people in the last six months, with 11% of Haiti's nearly 12 million residents chased out of their homes by gunmen. In fact, the State Department's 2024 advisory for Haiti remains in effect, warning Americans not to travel to the country due to 'kidnapping, crime, civil unrest and limited health care.' Still, the Trump administration expects Haitians to return to their home country in about two months. 'The environmental situation in Haiti has improved enough that it is safe for Haitian citizens to return home,' a DHS spokesperson said in a statement last week. There was no mention of how conditions have improved. NBC News' request for additional comment went unanswered. In a news conference Monday,North Miami councilwoman Mary Estimé-Irvin called the decision was 'outright unjust.'. She pointed out that the announcement came days after the U.S. Embassy in Haiti warned Americans to vacate the country immediately due to violence and instability. 'Let's be clear, Haiti is in a crisis,' she said. 'Gang-ruled streets once filled with hope. Schools are shattered, hospitals overwhelmed, families displaced. To say Haiti is safe to return defies facts, reason and morality.' As someone coming in and out of Haiti for 15 years, Gengel said conditions have not improved. 'Seeing this country fall apart is so devastating,' he said. 'People are dying of starvation after years of this gang war.' Gengel and his nonprofit, Be Like Brit Foundation, began his work in Haiti assisting orphans to honor the wishes of his daughter, Britney, who died there at age 19 while providing aid during the devastating earthquake of 2010. The troubles on the island have only gotten worse, leading 500,000 Haitians to seek asylum status in the U.S. in the last 15 years. Gengel began working in the country soon after his daughter's death, after closing his business in Massachusetts to fulfill Britney's wish. To keep the children in his orphanage safe, Gengel said he had to learn how to shoot a firearm and has purchased guns to support the hired security at the Port-au-Prince facility. 'I never shot a gun until I was 60 years old,' he said. 'I've had to learn to shoot and get a gun license. It's like we are in prison.' One of the children Gengel helped in Haiti came to the U.S. under President Biden's administration and obtained temporary protected status. He now works as a bookkeeper but 'they won't renew his work permit,' Gengel said. 'He may have to return to Haiti this summer.' Some have compared Trump's cancellation of the TPS program as a 'death sentence.' 'Deporting people back to these conditions is a death sentence for many, stripping them of their fundamental right to safety and dignity,' said Tessa Pettit, a Haitian American who is executive director of the Florida Immigrant Coalition, to The Associated Press. For three years, Frantz Desir, 36, has been an asylee in the U.S. Now he fears he could be next sent back, he told the AP. 'You see your friends who used to go to work every day, and suddenly — without being sick or fired — they just can't go anymore,' he said, referring to the extreme current conditions in Haiti. 'It hits you. Even if it hasn't happened to you yet, you start to worry, 'What if it's me next?'' TPS, designed to protect people from troubled countries who fear for their safety, is not a free pass to America, Abigail Desravines told NBC News earlier this year. She came to the U.S. after the earthquake. 'You have to keep renewing, pay fees and live with the fear that it could end at any time,' Desravines said. 'It's not an easy path.'
Telegraph
5 hours ago
- Telegraph
Pro-Palestinian activist charged with killing 82-year-old woman in firebomb attack
The Egyptian national is said to have turned a garden weed sprayer into a makeshift flamethrower by spraying gasoline in the direction of the marchers while holding a lighter in front of the stream of fuel. He is said to have shouted 'free Palestine' during the attack. Investigators believe he had stopped at gas stations before the attack to fill up Molotov cocktails and the makeshift flamethrower. He told investigators he had been planning the attack for a year but was waiting until his daughter graduated, according to an FBI affidavit. Leaders of the Boulder Jewish Community Centre announced in an email on Monday that Diamond had died on June 25, and said she will be deeply missed 'Karen was a cherished member of our community, someone whose warmth and generosity left a lasting impact on all who knew her,' executive director Jonathan Lev and board chairman David Paul said. 'Karen taken from us too soon' Governor Jared Polis said that he was devastated by Diamond's death, and that it will be felt deeply by the city of Boulder, the state and the Jewish community. 'Karen was taken from us too soon, and we mourn her loss while remembering her life and the impact she had on those who loved her,' Mr Polis said. Prosecutors said Diamond's family has asked for privacy as they grieve. 'Part of what makes Colorado special is that people come together in response to a tragedy; I know that the community will continue to unite in supporting the Diamond family and all the victims of this attack,' District Attorney Michael Dougherty said in the statement. Mr Soliman told investigators he tried to buy a gun but was not able to because he was not a 'legal citizen'.
