New Information Released About “Ambush” Shooting That Killed Two Firefighters In Idaho
on Jul 01, 2025
Two Firefighters Killed In Shooting Near Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, Have Been Identified
Authorities have shared new information regarding the shooting near Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, on Sunday (June 29). They’ve also revealed the identities of the firefighters who were killed.
KHQ News reports that everything started at 1:20 PM local time when someone near Canfield Mountain started a brush fire. Firefighters responding to the scene reported around 2 PM that they had been shot at.
Bob Norris, the Sheriff of Kootenai County, described the incident as “a total ambush.” “These firefighters did not have a chance,” he said.
Two firefighters died in the shooting, while a third sustained serious injuries. Later on Monday (June 30), the two heroic firefighters who lost their lives were identified as Frank Harwood and John Morrison.
42-year-old Frank Harwood served as the Battalion Chief at the Kootenai County Fire Department, where he worked for 17 years. 52-year-old John Morrison served as the Battalion Chief at the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department, where he worked for 28 years.
Authorities identified the injured firefighter as 47-year-old David Tysdal. The Associated Press reported that Tysdal remained in critical condition after undergoing two surgeries.
Authorities Release New Information About Idaho “Ambush” And Suspected Shooter
Over 300 law enforcement officers responded to the scene of the shooting. Officers exchanged gunfire with the suspect while the brush fire continued to burn.
Responding officers soon detected cell phone activity in the area. After tracing the source of that activity, they discovered the body of the suspected shooter, who has since been identified as 20-year-old Wess Roley.
Authorities found a weapon near Roley’s body. According to The Associated Press, investigators believe he took his own life.
While Roley’s exact motive remains unknown, some new information about the moments leading up to the ambush in Idaho has been revealed.
Sheriff Norris said firefighters who responded to the report of the brush fire encountered a man, now believed to be Roley. The man began shooting at the firefighters after they asked him to move his vehicle (which Roley reportedly had been living out of).
Roley had reported ties to Arizona and California, but lived in Idaho “for the better part of 2024,” according to Sheriff Norris. He had relatives who lived near Coeur d’Alene.
Roley previously worked for a tree service and lived with T.J. Franks Jr. in Sandpoint, Idaho. Franks claimed that Roley had been “acting a little weird” and started to “kind of go downhill.”
Idaho Governor Brad Little has ordered flags to be lowered to half-staff throughout the state until the day after the firefighters’ memorial service. He described their deaths as an “indescribable loss … felt deeply by all those in the firefighting community and beyond.”
The Kootenai County Fire & Rescue shared a post on their official Facebook page with ways to help the families of Frank Harwood and John Morrison. You can find all of that information in the post below.
Our hearts and prayers go out to the firefighters’ families during this devastating time…
