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He was apparently living in his car. That says "loner" to me, but I'm open to different definitions.
Sounds like he could not manage to live with his own family.
IMO
ID -Multiple firefighters reportedly shot while responding to fire near Coeur d’Alene
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He was apparently living in his car. That says "loner" to me, but I'm open to different definitions.
Sounds like he could not manage to live with his own family.
IMO
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He had no record, but was known to the local police. What is known about Wess Roley, the 20-year-old suspected of killing Idaho firefighters - East Idaho News
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From that article:
" Roley did not leave a manifesto after he died by suicide on Canfield Mountain following the shootout,"
Since he was living in his car or van, it's possible he left a note or statement/manifesto in his vehicle. At the time of this statement earlier today, they still hadn't been able to search the vehicle due to the fires nearby.
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It all depends on how it is dispatched.
"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.
Officials said it appeared Wess Roley was living out of his vehicle,
which remains on the scene and has not been inventoried.
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'.
The suspect himself has no criminal history, officials said.
However,
law enforcement in Kootenai County, Idaho,
had minor interactions with him five times."
his grandfather said.
Investigators are confident that a shotgun was used in the Sunday attack,
but have stopped short of ruling out additional firearms.
Officials said it appeared Wess Roley was living out of his vehicle,
which remains on the scene and has not been inventoried.
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'.
The suspect himself has no criminal history, officials said.
However,
law enforcement in Kootenai County, Idaho,
had minor interactions with him five times."
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Excellent local article:
www.spokesman.com
Two slain Idaho firefighters identified; shooter's father comments on 'horrible' killings
The suspect and victims in the brazen Sunday shooting deaths of two Idaho firefighters have been identified as a pair of battalion chiefs and a 20-year-old whose motivation remains a mystery to investigators.
www.spokesman.com
Idaho sniper's family pays tribute to firefighters he killed
The update on the victims came as Roley's family expressed their grief and sorrow for those the 20-year-old hurt after allegedly lighting a bush on fire and ambushing the first responders.
Harwood - an ex-Army National Guard combat engineer - served the county for 17 years and leaves behind a wife and two children, according to Kootenai County Fire and Rescue Chief Christopher Way.
Rest in peace, Frank and John.
Thank you Frank, for your service in the military as well.
And to both men for your service to your community.
My utmost condolences to their loved ones.
They were there to see that WR move his vehicle and get safely away from that fire that he started, and were murdered for it !
Hateful perp.
Omo.
Thanks for the link, @PunishThenForgive !Excellent local article:
Two slain Idaho firefighters identified; shooter's father comments on 'horrible' killings
The suspect and victims in the brazen Sunday shooting deaths of two Idaho firefighters have been identified as a pair of battalion chiefs and a 20-year-old whose motivation remains a mystery to investigators.
Interesting regarding the initial report is that he was perched in the tree during the discussion w/the fire dept. about moving his vehicle, then about a half hour later the first reports of shot came in ?
What transpired during that time ?
Also I was assuming he was running around under cover of the woods and under brush , firing at them.
Maybe he was running around behind trees, ambushing them -- after climbing down and pretending he was going to move his car.
It appears Wess had a plan and was acting it out.
Premeditated.
My opinion the last sentence in the article sums it up quite well !
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Suspect accused of killing firefighters lived in Oklahoma before moving to Idaho
The man accused of killing two firefighters and injuring another after starting a fire and ambushing first responders in Idaho lived in Oklahoma for nearly a year.
www.koco.com
Police said Wess Roley used a flint fire starter to spark the blaze and opened fire at first responders from a tree
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.Seems unlikely he was able to kill the firemen from a distance with a shotgun. They should already know what kind of weapon was used.
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Thanks for the link, @PunishThenForgive !
Interesting regarding the initial report is that he was perched in the tree during the discussion w/the fire dept. about moving his vehicle, then about a half hour later the first reports of shot came in ?
What transpired during that time ?
Also I was assuming he was running around under cover of the woods and under brush , firing at them.
Maybe he was running around behind trees, ambushing them -- after climbing down and pretending he was going to move his car.
It appears Wess had a plan and was acting it out.
Premeditated.
My opinion the last sentence in the article sums it up quite well !
JMO, he had a plan that included luring the firefighters in and killing them. Once he saw they had arrived and were busy fighting the fire, he went to climb a nearby tree he had chosen in advance and used it as a perch to begin shooting the innocent fire fighters.
Evil guy. He had obviously brought more than one weapon, taking the "long rifle" (which I suspect was an automatic weapon - AR 15 style or AK 47, etc.) into the woods ahead of time so he could use it from his sniper's nest.
As usual a hateful coward with a weapon of mass destruction.
Just my guess for now.
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Previously lived in California, Arizona and Idaho. Graduated from high school in the Class of 2024 in Arizona.
Was sometimes difficult to get along with.
His father threatened his mother, saying he would sit outside her house and threaten to shoot her with a sniper rifle, so assume this was something that was normal to Roley.
appleatcha
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MOO: After watching the briefing on the day of the attack, I'm really surprised to hear that they now think it was a shotgun. At the time, it sounded like the shooting was too rapid-fire to be from a single shotgun. I guess that could have just been "the fog of war."
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It was in fairly rugged terrain, I suspect, and possibly a lot of echoing?
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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,” 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.”
https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/30/us/idaho-fire-shooter-wess-roley
He had a roommate until January at which point he moved out of their shared living situation. Bio father says the two aren't close and he hasn't seen his son since a family gathering sometime last year.
I'm confused what took WR to ID if he wasn't really close with any of his paternal family that lived there. Both his father and grandfather seem to indicate they didn't see much of him, despite him having moved to their area.
“We do not understand why this happened or how this came about,” 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.”
https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/30/us/idaho-fire-shooter-wess-roley
He had a roommate until January at which point he moved out of their shared living situation. Bio father says the two aren't close and he hasn't seen his son since a family gathering sometime last year.
I'm confused what took WR to ID if he wasn't really close with any of his paternal family that lived there. Both his father and grandfather seem to indicate they didn't see much of him, despite him having moved to their area.
bbm
The grandfather may have no connection to Idaho. I’ve seen articles mentioning that he lives in Oklahoma, including this one.
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.
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.The grandfather may have no connection to Idaho. I’ve seen articles mentioning that he lives in Oklahoma, including this one.
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.abcnews.go.com
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."
Seems that this kid didn't have close family ties anywhere, even though he sought them out on some level, it appears. Have we heard any statements from his mother and stepfather yet? They have to be in shock and his mother in deep grief for losing her son and sheer horror for what he did.
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In the Idaho Statesman article linked earlier, his grandfather in Idaho said he got his GED, but didn't graduate. His ID grandfather flew him out there with the intention of getting him to join the Army, but he didn't want to do it. The grandparents must have been trying to help him get started in adult life, but he wasn't cooperating.
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A bit of good news in this tragedy.
Coeur d’Alene Fire Department Dave Tysdal was recovering after two surgeries, according to Coeur d’Alene Fire Chief Tom Greif.
Coeur d’Alene Fire Department Dave Tysdal was recovering after two surgeries, according to Coeur d’Alene Fire Chief Tom Greif.
What we know about Idaho firefighters, sniper who ambushed them
The sniper suspect was identified as 20-year-old Wess Roley after an hourslong manhunt ended in the discovery of his body.
www.usatoday.com
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