Crime
Coeur d’Alene Ambush Suspect Wess Roley wanted to be a firefighter
Idaho shooter shot at firefighters from up in a tree.
COEUR D’ALENE, IDAHO – The man accused of fatally ambushing two firefighters on Canfield Mountain in northern Idaho once harbored aspirations of becoming a firefighter himself, according to family members and law enforcement officials.
The suspect, identified as 20-year-old Wess Roley, was found deceased at the scene of the ambush-style attack on Sunday, June 30, after allegedly setting a brush fire to lure first responders to the area.
Two firefighters were killed in the attack, and a third was injured.
Preliminary evidence suggests Roley died by suicide.
Wess Roley was born in California and also lived in Arizona and Idaho.
Kootenai County Sheriff Robert Norris confirmed Monday that Roley had previously expressed an interest in a firefighting career. “At one point, it appears Mr. Roley wanted to be a firefighter,” Norris said during a press briefing. “There is no known manifesto or clear motive at this time.”
Roley’s grandfather, Dale Roley, told reporters that his grandson came from a family of arborists and had been working in the tree services industry while contemplating his future. “He wanted to be a fireman—he was doing tree work and he wanted to be a fireman in the forest,” he said. “As far as I know, he was actually pursuing it.”
The suspect was reportedly in possession of a shotgun and a long rifle, though authorities have not confirmed whether those specific weapons were used in the ambush.
Sheriff Norris stated that rifled shotgun slugs and other smaller munitions were recovered at the scene, indicating a sniper-style assault. Investigators also recovered a flint fire starter on Roley’s body, believed to have been used to ignite the blaze that drew firefighters to the area.
Sheriff Norris further disclosed that there was some form of verbal interaction between Roley and the firefighters before the shooting began, though details of that exchange remain under investigation.
Public records and court documents suggest that Roley had a troubled upbringing. His parents divorced in 2015, when he was 10 years old.
In her petition, Roley’s mother accused his father of domestic violence, alleging that he had pushed her to the ground, punched holes in the walls, and threatened to burn down the house or use a sniper rifle against her.
A protective order was issued by the court, initially including Wess Roley, though it was later amended to allow contact between father and son after the father claimed he posed no threat.
Roley had previously lived in the Phoenix, Arizona area and, according to social media posts, had vacationed in Hawaii with his mother last year.
His grandfather said they typically spoke weekly, but had not been in contact in the past month due to Wess losing his phone. Investigators believe Roley may have been living in his vehicle at the time of the attack.
Authorities continue to investigate the case, and no clear motive has been established.
Sheriff Norris reiterated that there is currently no evidence suggesting the presence of a manifesto or political motivation behind the deadly ambush.
Authorities have identified the man shot and killed Friday afternoon in a parking lot outside a Little Caesars restaurant in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood.
The victim has been named as Stevens Jeffrey, 29, according to police and the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The shooting occurred in the 2600 block of West Cermak Road near Rockwell Street at approximately 1:10 p.m., according to the Chicago Police Department (CPD).
Preliminary reports indicate that Jeffrey was sitting in his vehicle when he was approached by an unknown vehicle.
An armed individual exited that vehicle and opened fire, striking Jeffrey multiple times in the face and body.
Emergency responders arrived on the scene, where Jeffrey was pronounced dead. He was discovered inside his vehicle with his two young children, ages 4 and 6, who were unharmed.
Both children were transported to Stroger Hospital for precautionary evaluation.
The shooting took place in the parking lot of a Little Caesars restaurant, where investigators recovered multiple shell casings and placed numerous evidence markers on the ground.
As of Friday evening, no suspects are in custody, and detectives from the CPD Area Four Homicide Unit are leading the investigation. Police have not released information on a possible motive.
Authorities are urging anyone with information about this homicide to contact Chicago Police or submit an anonymous tip at CPDTip.com.