NEED TO KNOW
- The two firefighters who were killed in an ambush shooting near Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, on Sunday, June 29 have been identified
- Officials said the fatal victims are Kootenai County Fire and Rescue Battalion Chief Frank Harwood, 42, and Coeur d’Alene Fire Department Battalion Chief John Morrison, 52
- Officials said the suspect, 20-year-old Wess Roley, deliberately set the fire to ambush the first responders
Officials have identified the two firefighters who were killed in an ambush shooting as they responded to a wildfire report near Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, on Sunday, June 29.
The firefighters who were fatally shot have been identified as Kootenai County Fire and Rescue Battalion Chief Frank Harwood, 42, and Coeur d’Alene Fire Department Battalion Chief John Morrison, 52, officials said at a press conference on Monday, June 30.
Officials also identified a third victim who was wounded in the shooting as Dave Tysdal, an engineer with the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department.
Tysdal, 47, is in critical condition at a local hospital, where he has had “two successful surgeries” as of noon on Monday, Coeur d’Alene Fire Chief Tom Greif said.
Harwood was a member of Kootenai County Fire and Rescue for 17 years and was married with two children, according to Kootenai County Fire and Rescue Chief Christopher Way. He added that Harwood was a former U.S. Army National Guard combat engineer.
“Chief Harwood was a leader in our organization,” Way said. “He did an amazing job. He was a shift commander. He was well respected by his shift. This loss is felt by so many.”
As for Morrison, he began his career with the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department in 1996 and held multiple ranks, including firefighter, engineer, captain, and battalion chief, Coeur d’Alene Fire Chief Tom Greif said. Morrison was also a paramedic for the department.
“He has served the city of Coeur d’Alene in this community for over 28-and-a-half years,” Greif shared.
Also at the press conference, Gabe Eckert, president of the Coeur d’Alene Firefighters union, recalled his last memory with Morrison being when they talked over some cigars about being “better fathers” and “better firefighters.”
A gunman, identified as 20-year-old Wess Roley, opened fire on the firefighters on Canfield Mountain near Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho, around 2 p.m. Sunday, June 29, the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to PEOPLE on July 1.
Officials said he deliberately set the fire to ambush the first responders.
Using cell phone data, authorities later found Roley dead near the scene with a weapon nearby. Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris said Monday that it appears Roley shot himself, per ABC News, CNN and CBS News.
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The suspect’s grandfather, Dale Roley, said his grandson had plans to become a firefighter. “He actually really respected law enforcement. He loved firefighters. It didn’t make sense that he was shooting firefighters. Maybe he got rejected or something,” NBC News reported.
Authorities believe the suspect acted alone and have yet to share a possible motive for the violence.
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