Latest news with #sniper
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Daily Mail
Idaho sniper's twisted motive for firefighter ambush revealed - and the chilling farewell letter to his father
Idaho sniper's twisted motive for firefighter ambush revealed - and the chilling farewell letter to his father The man accused of shooting two Idaho firefighters dead grew increasingly agitated while attempting to become a firefighter himself - ultimately writing a chilling goodbye note to his father, declaring that he 'shall go to battle.' Wess Roley, 20, launched a deadly attack on first responders last month after deliberately setting a bush fire at Idaho beauty spot Canfield Mountain to lure them in. New revelations about the possible motive behind what officials called a 'pure act of evil' were shared during a Tuesday press conference - including indications of the suspect's growing resentment toward first responders, as reported by KREM 2 News. Roley first attempted to enlist in the Army in Arizona in 2023, seemingly following in the footsteps of his father, a military veteran. He made a second attempt to join the military last year in Hayden, Idaho. However, both times were unsuccessful, as he 'failed to follow through on tasks and appointments, eventually being disqualified by the US Army,' Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris said at the conference. Then, just one month before the shootings, Roley visited a Coeur d'Alene fire station to inquire about becoming a firefighter - but grew irritated upon learning the requirements of the process. 'He had the state of mind that he would be able to start that day,' Norris revealed on Tuesday. 'He was told there's a process - you have a written exam, and a physical agility and a background investigation and an oral interview,' he added. Wess Roley, 20, the man accused of shooting two Idaho firefighters dead, grew increasingly agitated while attempting to become a firefighter himself On June 29 - according to Sheriff Norris - Roley used gasoline, lighters and flint to ignite a series of fires on Canfield Mountain to trigger an emergency response, and then opened fire on firefighters who asked him to move his vehicle before taking his own life Roley attempted to enlist in the Army twice, but both attempts were unsuccessful as he 'failed to follow through on tasks and appointments, eventually being disqualified by the US Army' 'The contact became agitated and frustrated. He left there in a very frustrated and agitated state.' During the conference, officials also revealed evidence suggesting the attack was premeditated - including drawings found in Roley's home depicting a mountain parking lot, a shotgun being fired and a figure aiming a rifle at their own chin. A haunting farewell note addressed to his father was also found inside Roley's truck - signed by him alongside two symbols resembling runes associated with Nazi ideology. 'Tomorrow, I shall go to battle,' Roley wrote to his father. 'If I survive, it would be with upmost dishonor. I bid thee farewell.' On June 29 - according to Sheriff Norris - Roley used gasoline, lighters and flint to ignite a series of fires on Canfield Mountain to trigger an emergency response. He then opened fire on firefighters who asked him to move his vehicle, and later shot at others from a tree before taking his own life. 'This was a premeditated ambush, a pure act of evil against the people we look to for help,' Norris said on Tuesday. Kootenai County Battalion Chief Frank Harwood, 42, and Coeur d'Alene Fire Department Battalion Chief John Morrison, 52, were killed in the attack. Then, just one month before the shootings, Roley visited a Coeur d'Alene fire station to inquire about becoming a firefighter - but grew irritated upon learning the requirements of the process (pictured: Roley and his mother, Heather Cuchiara) During the conference, officials also revealed evidence suggesting the attack was premeditated - including drawings found in Roley's (pictured) home depicting a mountain parking lot, a shotgun being fired and a figure aiming a rifle at their own chin A haunting farewell note addressed to his father was also found inside Roley's truck - signed by him alongside two symbols resembling runes associated with Nazi ideology (pictured: screenshot of Roley's Instagram Story) Kootenai County Battalion Chief Frank Harwood (pictured), 42, was killed in the attack Coeur d'Alene Fire Department Battalion Chief John Morrison (pictured), 52, was also killed in the attack Coeur d'Alene Fire Department Fire Engineer David Tysdal, 47, was also badly hurt in what cops described as 'a total ambush,' but is expected to survive. Earlier this month, Daily Mail exclusively revealed that Roley had a troubled past that included bullying gender-fluid kids at his Arizona high school, making disturbing neo-Nazi comments and posting Holocaust-denying TikTok videos. And after moving to Idaho in summer 2024 after a year living with his grandfather Dale, 66, in Vinita, Oklahoma, his life spun further out of control – with a former roommate telling that he made threatening gang signs, had no friends and cheated him out of a month's rent when he was told to move out. Roley had also fallen out with his father Jason, 39 – a heavily tattooed motorcycle enthusiast whose Facebook page carries several pictures of him in Hell's Angel gear – who lives in remote Priest River, Idaho, with his second wife Sara, 35, and their two young children. 'When he first moved in with me, he was just real quiet,' TJ Franks, 28, told in an interview at his modest apartment home in Sandpoint, Idaho, 60 miles north of Coeur d'Alene. 'He didn't really do a whole lot. He just kind of kept to himself and worked. But then, towards the end of his stay here, we started noticing changes in his behavior. 'He shaved all his hair off. He was keeping really late hours at night.' Other difficult behavior included using Franks's personal items such as his clippers without permission, monopolizing the TV and playing video games deep into the small hours. Earlier this month, Daily Mail exclusively revealed that Roley (left) had a troubled past that included bullying gender-fluid kids at his Arizona high school , making disturbing neo-Nazi comments and posting Holocaust-denying TikTok videos TJ Franks (pictured), 28, told that Roley – who was living out of his van when he died – didn't appear to have any friends at all and frequently complained about wanting a girlfriend After moving to Idaho in summer 2024 after a year living with his grandfather Dale, 66, in Vinita, Oklahoma, his life spun further out of control – with a former roommate saying he made threatening gang signs, had no friends and cheated him out of a month's rent when he was told to move out Franks added: 'He left his vehicle running out here for like, 12 or 13 hours, so the landlord called me and wanted me to check on him, and I knocked on his door. 'He was just sleeping, but he jumped up and said he had no idea that it was running – there was a lot of weird stuff like that.' According to Franks, Roley – who was living out of his van when he died – didn't appear to have any friends at all and frequently complained about wanting a girlfriend. But he did nothing to get one, instead spending most of his time off taking lonely rambles along the 3.5-mile Mickinnick Trail – telling Franks he felt most at home in the forest. The pattern is similar to one observed his former classmates in Arizona, with one North Phoenix Prep School graduate telling that that he would bully other students – including cruelly nicknaming one girl 'Horse Teeth' – and had few friends of his own. More disturbing were his neo-Nazi outbursts and penchant for doodling swastikas and other Nazi symbols in his school notebook. 'He was weird,' recalled the student. 'At one point, in 10th grade he got a girlfriend who was Jewish.' 'They both were spreading neo-Nazi propaganda. Wess's notebook was notorious for having doodles of swastikas and satanic symbols in it,' they added. The pattern is similar to one observed his former classmates in Arizona, with one North Phoenix Prep School graduate saying that that he would bully other students – including cruelly nicknaming one girl 'Horse Teeth' – and had few friends of his own Coeur d'Alene Fire Department Fire Engineer David Tysdal (pictured), 47, was also badly hurt in what cops described as 'a total ambush,' but is expected to survive Roley's father Jason has since posted a tribute to the dead firefighters and changed his Facebook profile photo to a badge that read: 'In loving memories of our fallen heroes.' Later in November 2021, the then-10th grader Roley was expelled after threatening both the school and his classmates. His tattooed, dyed-hair girlfriend also left the school and was never heard from again by classmates. Franks also revealed that Roley had shown a consistent disdain for authority. 'He did say that he has a problem not with authorities but authority,' Franks told 'He has a problem with authority, but he was not a political person. You know, I would talk to him about something that I saw on the news,' he added. 'When I did, he would just kind of laugh and he would say, "it's all bull crap anyway."' Ultimately, Roley's behavior became too much for Franks to tolerate, and he asked him to move out, which he did at the end of January this year. After that, police say he lived a transient lifestyle and was the subject of several welfare and trespass calls but did nothing unduly troubling until last month's shootout that claimed the lives of Chief Harwood and Chief Morrison. Roley's father Jason has since posted a tribute to the dead firefighters and changed his Facebook profile photo to a badge that read: 'In loving memories of our fallen heroes.' He added: 'I have no words. I'm so sorry for the families.' Of his estranged son, he said nothing.
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Yahoo
Wannabe Firefighter, 20, ID'd as Man Who Lured Idaho Firefighters to Their Death
Police have identified Wess Roley as the sniper who allegedly set a wooded area in Idaho ablaze to lure firefighters before opening fire and killing two of them. The body of Roley, 20, was recovered by police after they engaged him in a shootout Sunday afternoon. Police confirmed to the Associated Press that he was behind the attack, which the local sheriff described as a 'total ambush.' The firefight took place on Canfield Mountain, a popular hiking destination in Coeur d'Alene. Police have yet to say how Roley died or what his motive was. Roley's grandfather, Dale Roley, told CNN he had a 'loving family and friends' and that he wanted to one day fight fires himself. 'He wanted to be a fireman—he was doing tree work and he wanted to be a fireman in the forest,' Roley told the network. 'As far as I know, he was actually pursuing it.' The elder Roley said he spoke to his grandson weekly until a month ago, when he supposedly lost his phone. 'It wasn't like he was a loner,' the granddad told CNN. 'We had no reason to suspect that he would be involved in something like this.' He said he is holding out hope that his grandson was not the shooter despite the police's claims. Police explained in a Sunday news conference that Roley intentionally set a wildfire on the mountain to lure first responders to the location where he was perched with a rifle. He then allegedly shot at the firemen, killing two and leaving a third 'fighting for his life.' Other firefighters fled the area and called for backup from the sheriff's office, which dispatched officers on foot and two helicopters to the mountain. A recording of pleas made by firefighters captured some of the chaos, with a man yelling over the radio that he was 'pinned down.' 'Send law enforcement, send law enforcement right now, this is an active shooter zone,' he added. 'Everybody is shot up here. Law enforcement, code three, now!' Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris said firefighters had no idea what they would find in the woods. 'We do believe that the suspect started the fire, and we do believe that it was an ambush and it was intentional,' he said. 'These firefighters did not have a chance.' Norris said the third firefighter was critically wounded but stable as of Sunday evening. Roley does not have any social media presence in his name. Records show he is from Phoenix, Arizona, but his dad lives in Idaho, an hour north of where Sunday's shootout took place. His dad claimed to CNN that he was not close with his son and had not seen him since a family gathering last year. The dad's public Facebook page does not include photos of Roley. Social media accounts for his parents show that his dad, a U.S. Army veteran, and his mom, a pet groomer, have each divorced and remarried. Each has made Facebook posts in support of President Donald Trump and right-wing politics, but there is no indication their son shares their views. Roley traveled to Maui, Hawaii, with his mom last year, posts show. Another post shows he turned 20 on May 1. The alleged gunman's parents did not respond to calls from the Daily Beast on Monday.
Daily Mail
30-06-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE The disturbing t-shirt that may hold answers to Idaho sniper Wess Roley's dark obsession
The sniper who lured teams of firefighters to a bush fire in Idaho before ambushing them, killing two, appears to have held a fascination with European neo-Nazis and heavy-metal. In now deleted images shared to social media by his stepfather, Wess Roley, 20, can be seen in a t-shirt by Norwegian black metal band 'Darkthrone'.
Fox News
30-06-2025
- Fox News
Suspected shooter in Idaho firefighter ambush identified
The alleged sniper who killed two firefighters and wounded a third in an ambush-styled attack in Idaho has been identified as Wess Roley. The Associated Pressd reported, citing sources, that Roley deliberately set a brush fire on Canfield Mountain, near Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, to lure first responders into a deadly trap. The Kootenai County Sheriff's Office said fire crews responded to a blaze at Canfield Mountain just north of Coeur d'Alene around 1:30 p.m. Gunshots were reported about a half-hour later. In audio from the scene, a firefighter said there was an "emergency situation" and an "active shooter at a fire." "We need law enforcement up here immediately," the firefighter told a dispatcher, adding that there were "two battalion chiefs down." "We have another Coeur d'Alene firefighter down ... we've got two unresponsive battalion chiefs down, multiple gunshot wounds, two Coeur d'Alene are down ... I'm pinned down," the caller continued. The caller also said that the fire "was set intentionally to draw us in." "It's clear to me that this fire was set intentionally to draw us in," the caller said. LISTEN TO THE AUDIO: Law enforcement launched a massive manhunt, tracking the suspected gunman through the terrain. Using cellphone data, a tactical team located Roley's body several hours later in a wooded area near the origin point of the fire. A firearm was found nearby. Officials have not yet confirmed whether he died by suicide or was fatally wounded during an exchange with authorities. The identities of the two deceased firefighters have not been publicly released, pending notification of next of kin. The third firefighter, who suffered critical injuries, underwent emergency surgery and remains in stable condition. Idaho Governor Brad Little condemned the incident as "a heinous, direct assault on our brave firefighters" and pledged full state support for the investigation. "They answered the call to protect others and paid the ultimate price," Little said. The motive behind Roley's actions remains unclear, and federal agencies including the FBI are assisting local authorities in the investigation.
Fox News
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Father Jumps From Disney Cruise To Rescue Daughter
A suspected sniper who allegedly killed two firefighters after setting a brush fire in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, was found dead following a gunfight with police. A father jumped into the Atlantic Ocean to rescue his young daughter after she fell from the fourth deck of a Disney cruise ship. Cobra Kai actress Alicia Hannah-Kim has broken her silence about the incident where Martin Kove bit her arm at a fan convention in Washington. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit
