Latest news with #DaleRoley
The Sun
a day ago
- The Sun
Idaho sniper suspect Wess Roley's chilling social media post hours before ambush that saw two firefighters killed
THE suspected gunman who lit a wildfire to lure firefighters into tackling a blaze before shooting them dead shared a sinister warning on social media - hours before the ambush. Wess Roley, 20, allegedly killed two firefighters and left a third fighting for their life after opening fire in Coeur D'Alene in Idaho on Sunday. 2 2 Roley was found dead around six hours after fire crews received the initial calls about the blaze in the mountain range. Cops on Monday shared photos of Roley wearing camouflaged gear that he shared on social media. He shared lyrics from a Bjork song, warning: 'I'm going hunting.' Investigators are still probing what motivated Roley to carry out the shooting - which has left family members reeling. Police revealed they didn't find any manifesto. Roley's grandpa, Dale, said he had no idea his grandson could carry out the killings. Dale told the New York Times that he was close with Roley, but the pair lost contact around a month ago. He said that Roley had lost his cell phone. Dale revealed that his grandson had dreams of becoming a firefighter. 'He was just trying to figure his life out,' he said. 'He seemed to be a little bit optimistic.'
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Wannabe Firefighter, 20, ID'd as Man Who Lured Idaho Firefighters to Their Death
Police have identified Wess Roley as the sniper who allegedly set a wooded area in Idaho ablaze to lure firefighters before opening fire and killing two of them. The body of Roley, 20, was recovered by police after they engaged him in a shootout Sunday afternoon. Police confirmed to the Associated Press that he was behind the attack, which the local sheriff described as a 'total ambush.' The firefight took place on Canfield Mountain, a popular hiking destination in Coeur d'Alene. Police have yet to say how Roley died or what his motive was. Roley's grandfather, Dale Roley, told CNN he had a 'loving family and friends' and that he wanted to one day fight fires himself. 'He wanted to be a fireman—he was doing tree work and he wanted to be a fireman in the forest,' Roley told the network. 'As far as I know, he was actually pursuing it.' The elder Roley said he spoke to his grandson weekly until a month ago, when he supposedly lost his phone. 'It wasn't like he was a loner,' the granddad told CNN. 'We had no reason to suspect that he would be involved in something like this.' He said he is holding out hope that his grandson was not the shooter despite the police's claims. Police explained in a Sunday news conference that Roley intentionally set a wildfire on the mountain to lure first responders to the location where he was perched with a rifle. He then allegedly shot at the firemen, killing two and leaving a third 'fighting for his life.' Other firefighters fled the area and called for backup from the sheriff's office, which dispatched officers on foot and two helicopters to the mountain. A recording of pleas made by firefighters captured some of the chaos, with a man yelling over the radio that he was 'pinned down.' 'Send law enforcement, send law enforcement right now, this is an active shooter zone,' he added. 'Everybody is shot up here. Law enforcement, code three, now!' Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris said firefighters had no idea what they would find in the woods. 'We do believe that the suspect started the fire, and we do believe that it was an ambush and it was intentional,' he said. 'These firefighters did not have a chance.' Norris said the third firefighter was critically wounded but stable as of Sunday evening. Roley does not have any social media presence in his name. Records show he is from Phoenix, Arizona, but his dad lives in Idaho, an hour north of where Sunday's shootout took place. His dad claimed to CNN that he was not close with his son and had not seen him since a family gathering last year. The dad's public Facebook page does not include photos of Roley. Social media accounts for his parents show that his dad, a U.S. Army veteran, and his mom, a pet groomer, have each divorced and remarried. Each has made Facebook posts in support of President Donald Trump and right-wing politics, but there is no indication their son shares their views. Roley traveled to Maui, Hawaii, with his mom last year, posts show. Another post shows he turned 20 on May 1. The alleged gunman's parents did not respond to calls from the Daily Beast on Monday.
Sky News
a day ago
- Sky News
Two firefighters killed after asking man to move his car
Why you can trust Sky News A gunman suspected of having started a fire to "ambush" firefighters in Idaho and kill them has been named as Wess Val Roley. The 20-year-old is said to have aspired to become a firefighter before the attack on Sunday, which saw him allegedly perched in a sniper position, firing at the firefighters as they sought to put out a fire, which authorities believe he intentionally started. Two firefighters were killed and one was injured as they came under gunfire over several hours, according to authorities. They said the incident took place after they asked him to move his vehicle. Roley was later found dead in the mountains with a firearm nearby. Sky News' US partner network NBC quoted Roley's grandfather,Dale Roley, as saying "something must have snapped" in his grandson for him to commit such violence. "He actually really respected law enforcement," Mr Roley said. "He loved firefighters. It didn't make sense that he was shooting firefighters. Maybe he got rejected or something." Mr Roley added: "I know he had been in contact to get a job with a fire department. "He wanted to be part of a team that he sort of idolised." Bob Norris, the sheriff of Kootenai County, said on Sunday: "We do believe that the suspect started the fire. "This was a total ambush. These firefighters did not have a chance." Officers said they were "taking sniper fire" near the city of Coeur d'Alene on Sunday afternoon, with crews responding to a fire at Canfield Mountain. Mr Norris said the gunman had used high-powered sporting rifles to fire rapidly at first responders. The ambush continued for several hours. More than 300 officers from city, county, state and federal levels responded. Two helicopters were deployed with snipers onboard. First responders could be heard making urgent calls for help on their radios. "Everybody's shot up here... send law enforcement now," one dispatch said. Later, the sheriff's office said members of a SWAT team "located a deceased male on Canfield Mountain", adding that a "firearm was found nearby".
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
What we know about Wess Roley, the 20-year-old suspect in the Idaho fire shooting
The suspect who police believe killed two firefighters Sunday after igniting a brush fire in Idaho with a flint fire starter wanted to pursue a career as a firefighter himself, his grandfather told CNN. Wess Roley, 20, was identified by a law enforcement official as the suspect in the shooting in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, which left two firefighters responding to the blaze dead and injured a third. Authorities said Roley was found dead at the scene, and appears to have shot himself. Roley's grandfather, Dale Roley, told CNN his grandson came from a family of arborists and had been working in the tree service industry while trying to figure out his career path. Police say Wess Roley opened fire on the first responders from a tree, citing extensive experience climbing with his family. His motive remains unknown and no manifesto has been found. 'He wanted to be a fireman – he was doing tree work and he wanted to be a fireman in the forest,' Dale Roley said. 'As far as I know, he was actually pursuing it.' Wess Roley owned a shotgun and a long rifle, his grandfather said. Investigators are confident that a shotgun was used in the Sunday attack, but have stopped short of ruling out additional firearms. Dale Roley said he typically spoke with his grandson on a weekly basis, but they hadn't spoken in the last month because Wess Roley had lost his phone. He said the suspect had loving family and friends, and he vacationed in Hawaii with his mother last year, according to social media posts. Officials said it appeared Wess Roley was living out of his vehicle, which remains on the scene and has not been inventoried. 'It wasn't like he was a loner,' Dale Roley told CNN. 'We had no reason to suspect that he would be involved in something like this.' He said he was holding out hope that his grandson wasn't actually the shooter. Roley previously lived in California, Arizona and Idaho, authorities said. A running website said that he ran track at a high school in Arizona and was a member of the school's class of 2024. Two former Arizona classmates of Roley's painted a picture of a struggling student who occasionally lashed out in anger. He could be friendly at times, they said, but was seclusive from his peers. A third former classmate described Roley as sometimes 'verbally aggressive,' but echoed that he had the means to be friendly and fun. 'He would make us laugh so hard,' the classmate said. They would play with airsoft guns and video games, but sometimes 'it was difficult to play with him… you would take him in doses.' Court documents show that Roley had a tumultuous family life growing up. His mother filed for divorce in September 2015, when her son was 10 years old, and wrote in court documents that her husband had threatened her, pushed her to the ground, and 'punched several holes in the walls.' 'He threatened to sit outside my house with a sniper rifle or burn my house down,' she wrote. A judge granted a protective order preventing Roley's father from having contact with his wife or son, but later amended the order to remove the son after his father wrote in a court filing that 'I am not a danger to my son or anyone else' and that his wife 'did not tell the truth in her statement.' The divorce was granted in November 2015, and Roley's mother was designated as his 'primary residential parent.' Roley's stepfather described in a statement confusion and heartbreak among his family members who are still struggling to grapple with Sunday's tragedy. 'We do not understand why this happened or how this came about. Our hearts and spirits are broken for the lost and hurting, and for our own loss as well,' the statement, released by Tony Cuchiara's attorney, read. 'Our hearts and spirits are broken for the lost and hurting, and for our own loss as well.' The suspect himself has no criminal history, officials said. However, law enforcement in Kootenai County, Idaho, had minor interactions with him five times. He has relatives near Coeur d'Alene, but it is unclear what he was doing in the area at the time of the shooting, Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris said. 'We knew that he lived here for the better part of 2024, but as far as when he got here, why he was here, why he chose this place, I don't know,' Norris said. Roley's father told a CNN reporter outside his home in Priest River, Idaho, that he wasn't close with his son and hadn't seen him since a family gathering last year. He didn't respond to follow-up phone calls about the decade-old allegations in the court documents. The suspect's mother also didn't answer phone calls Monday morning. CNN's Isabelle Chapman, Curt Devine and Majlie de Puy Kamp contributed to this report.
a day ago
Grandfather of suspect in deadly Idaho firefighter ambush speaks out
In the wake of the deadly ambush on responding firefighters in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, the suspect's grandfather spoke to ABC News on Monday, sharing his grief for those killed and injured in the attack. Law enforcement officials identified Wess Roley as the suspected gunman in the ambush on Sunday that left two firefighters killed and another injured. He was found dead on Canfield Mountain after an hourslong manhunt with a shotgun nearby, the Kootenai County Sheriff's Office said. Officials believe he shot himself after the attack. Speaking via phone in a recorded interview with ABC News, as seen on "World News Tonight with David Muir," a man describing himself as Wess Roley's paternal grandfather, Dale Roley, said he was surprised to hear that his grandson was named as the suspect in the deadly ambush. "Nobody wants to think that their son or grandson is going to do this," Dale Roley said. Dale Roley said those killed while responding to the brush fire, which officials believe the suspect purposely started before the ambush, "didn't deserve it." "I feel more sad for the people that got killed than I do for him because they didn't --They didn't deserve it. It was just, they didn't go to war. This wasn't part of their job description." He said the last time he spoke to Wess Roley was about four weeks ago -- when he said his grandson lost his cell phone and apparently never replaced it. Dale Roley said his grandson went to work for a tree company in Idaho about a year ago, but he didn't know which company. "He had his own apartment. He was doing good," Dale Roley said. "He had money. He used to go walking in that park all the time. I know that because he had told me about it. " Dale Roley said that after Wess graduated from high school in Arizona, he came and lived with him in Oklahoma for nearly nine months before Wess moved to Idaho, where his father lives. That's where Wess began working for a tree company, Dale Roley said, adding that in the last six months, his grandson appeared to become "kind of a loner." In a statement on Wednesday, Wess Roley's family's attorney Justin P. Whittenton shared a statement on behalf of the family, saying they "intend to fully cooperate with authorities in seeking answers." "At this time, we, the family of Wess Roley would like to offer our most heartfelt condolences to the families of those whose lives were taken and to the community of Coeur d'Alene at large," the family said in the statement. "There are no words that can suffice for this tragedy and the infinite losses suffered by those affected by this shooting. We do not understand why this happened or how this came about," the family added.
