Officials have identified the sniper who was found dead after starting a fire and fatally shooting two responding firefighters.
A law enforcement official confirmed to USA TODAY that the suspect’s name is Wess Roley.
Roley is accused of lighting a fire in the early afternoon on June 29 and then shooting two first responders who arrived to put it out. A third firefighter was wounded in the shooting, Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris said at a news conference.
“This was a total ambush,” he told reporters. “These firefighters did not have a chance.”
More: Sniper suspect identified in Idaho firefighter ambush: Live updates
The sniper’s body was later found on Canfield Mountain, a popular hiking and biking destination outside the city of Coeur d’Alene.
The body and a firearm were found using cell phone location data, Norris said. It’s unclear how the suspect died but Norris said he had engaged in a shootout with responding law enforcement officers.
Who is Wess Roley, the suspect in the Idaho sniper killings?
Records show Wess Roley, 20, most recently lived in Phoenix, Arizona, but appears to have family in Idaho about an hour’s drive from the location of the June 29 shooting.
The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office has not released a possible motive in the shooting.
What happened during the Canfield Mountain attack?
At 1:21 p.m. local time, an unidentified caller reported a fire on the east side of Canfield Mountain, Norris said. The caller is not believed to be the gunman.
Firefighters responded to the call and at 2 p.m., firefighters broadcast that there were shots fired. Officers arrived at the scene and exchanged gunfire with the suspect, Norris said.
After the shooting, investigators discovered a cell phone signal on Canfield Mountain that had not moved since 3:16 p.m. Authorities closed in on the location and discovered the man who they believe to be the suspect.
What do we know about the firefighters?
Authorities have not publicly identified the firefighters killed and injured in the attack.
One of the slain firefighters worked at Kootenai County Fire and Rescue, and the other worked for the Coeur D’Alene Fire Department. The wounded firefighter also works for the Coeur D’Alene department.
Contributing: John Bacon, Michael Loria, and Christopher Cann
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Idaho shooting suspect who ambushed 2 firefighters identified
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
