Max Matza
BBC News
Reporting fromSeattle
Watch: Procession honours firefighters killed in Idaho ambush shooting
A 20-year-old Idaho man who fatally shot firefighters after luring them into an ambush once dreamed of becoming a fireman himself, police say.
Two firefighters, Frank Harwood and John Morrison, were killed and a third, Dave Tysdal, was injured after Wess Roley shot at them as they arrived at a blaze at Canfield Mountain, just north of Coeur d’Alene, on Sunday, officials say.
Authorities say Roley deliberately lit the fire to send emergency services to the area. The motive for the attack remains unclear.
After an hours-long standoff, a police Swat team discovered a dead man – identified as Roley – close to where the attack took place.
Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris told a news conference on Monday that Roley had once aspired to be a fireman.
The suspect’s grandfather also told NBC News his grandson had “actually really respected law enforcement”.
Dale Roley said his grandson “had been in contact to get a job with a fire department”, and “wanted to be part of a team that he sort of idolised”.
“He loved firefighters,” said Mr Roley. “It didn’t make sense that he was shooting firefighters. Maybe he got rejected or something.”
Sheriff Norris said the homeless suspect had attacked fire crews after they asked him to move his vehicle, which he had been living in.
“There was an interaction with the firefighters,” Norris sai
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