Just hours before opening fire on firefighters in northern Idaho, Wess Val Roley, the 20-year-old suspected gunman, posted an ominous Instagram story.
The image, shared to his Instagram Stories and since deleted, shows Roley wearing a balaclava with what appeared to be coal-like soot smeared on his face. He had a belt of rifle shells strapped across his chest. The post was accompanied by the eerie lyrics of a Björk song: “I’m going hunting.”
That spine-chilling post was made shortly before officials say Roley intentionally started a fire on Canfield Mountain near Coeur d’Alene and ambushed first responders. Two firefighters were killed and another critically injured in the shootout that followed.
ALSO READ| John Morrison identified as fallen Idaho firefighter; colleague recalls final memory: ‘He loved his family’
“It’s clear to me that This fire was set intentionally to draw us in,” one firefighter radioed during the attack, captured in harrowing dispatch audio, per Daily Mail.
Idaho suspect’s grandfather drops hints why his grandson ambushed firefighters
Roley reportedly dreamed of becoming a firefighter himself. His grandfather, Dale Roley, told NBC News that his grandson had tried to join a fire department but may have been rejected. “Maybe he got rejected or something,” he said, adding that at 5-foot-8, “his height might have prevented him from joining the department.”
“He loved firefighters. It didn’t make sense that he was shooting firefighters,” the grandfather said. “He actually really respected law enforcement… He wanted to be part of a team that he sort of idolized.”
Sheriff Robert Norris confirmed that investigators had “information” suggesting Roley once wanted to be a firefighter. On Sunday afternoon, he allegedly launched a “total ambush,” firing on firefighters responding to a brush fire he had set himself.
“These firefighters did not have a chance,” Norris said in a press conference. “It’s clear to me that this fire was set intentionally to draw us in.”
Firefighters arriving on the scene were pinned down by gunfire. “Send law enforcement right now! There’s an active shooter zone,” one responder urgently radioed. “Everybody’s shot up here!”
At around 4:30 PM, as Roley continued to shoot, Sheriff Norris gave law enforcement the green light to use lethal force. “I am hoping someone has a clear shot,” he said. “They are not showing any signs of wanting to surrender.”
By the time authorities located Roley nearly six hours later, he was found dead beside a firearm. Officials believe he shot himself.
His vehicle, where he had apparently been living, was found nearby, filled with debris, but no manifesto or clear motive. “There is no threat to the community at this time,” Norris said.
ALSO READ| Who are Wess Roley’s parents? Idaho shooter’s mother once accused his father of violent threats
Idaho Governor Brad Little called the attack a “heinous direct assault on our brave firefighters.”
“Pray for Idaho’s first responders. Justice will be served,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem wrote on X.
