Idaho shooter Wess Roley shared a chilling image online just hours before carrying out his deadly ambush, officials said Monday. The photo showed him wearing camouflage and a mask, with a belt of rifle ammunition across his chest, along with a Björk song with haunting lyrics ominously warning, "I'm going hunting."
The disturbing post was among a slew of new revelations shared during a press conference held by the sheriff. Officials said that before launching his deadly attack, Roley had been living out of his car. Roley was confronted by the firefighters regarding his vehicle, and that's when he suddenly opened fire, killing two of them and leaving another injured.
Face of Evil
Over 300 law enforcement officers from multiple agencies rushed to the scene after the gunfire began, spending several hours trying to stop Roley. Authorities even rolled his abandoned car off a mountain ledge in a bid to cut off his escape routes and flattened the tires of nearby fire trucks to prevent him from using one to slip away.
Although the motive behind the attack remains unclear, investigators have yet to search Roley's vehicle. Sheriff Robert Norris said that there's no evidence he left behind a manifesto, nor do officials believe he had any connections to Middle Eastern terrorist groups.
Roley, originally from California, had been living in the Coeur d'Alene area since 2024, Norris said.
During that time, Roley had at least five encounters with local law enforcement, mostly involving complaints about him living in his car and parking it on private property. These incidents included things like trespassing and welfare checks.
Norris described the encounters as "very, very minor" and noted that investigators found no criminal history for Roley in Idaho, California, or Arizona, where he had previously lived.
On Sunday, Roley reportedly set a fire in the woods on Canfield Mountain shortly after 1 p.m., then ambushed the firefighters who arrived to contain it. He ultimately died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Tragic End
Roley was armed with a shotgun loaded with slugs during the gunfight. His body was removed from the area just as the wildfire began to spread across Canfield Mountain. The fire was first reported around 1:21 p.m. Two firefighters—one from the Coeur d'Alene Fire Department and another from Kootenai County Fire & Rescue—were shot and killed while scoping the scene.
A third firefighter was critically injured and rushed into surgery. He is now reportedly in stable condition.
"This was a total ambush. These firefighters did not have a chance," Norris said on Sunday.
The situation descended into chaos as the brush fire raged and firefighters arrived, only to be met with intense gunfire.
Around 4:30 p.m., Norris authorized officers to kill the shooter if the situation demanded it. Two helicopters carrying snipers were deployed to eliminate the threat.
On Sunday evening, the bodies of the two fallen firefighters were moved from Kootenai Health to Spokane, Washington.
A solemn procession of police vehicles, ambulances, and fire trucks accompanied them as a sign of respect and honor.
Community members gathered on highway overpasses to pay tribute—some waving flags, others offering salutes as the procession passed by.
