A man in northern Idaho shot and killed two firefighters, wounding one other, after starting a fire and initiating a gunfight with first responders that lasted several hours.
Authorities gave the update after lifting a shelter-in-place order, though cautioned people to remain wary as the fire was still burning.
Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris said a tactical response team had used cell phone date to “hone in” on a wooded area where they found the suspect’s body with a firearm nearby.
“We do believe that the suspect started the fire, and we do believe that it was an ambush and it was intentional,” Norris said at a Sunday night news conference. “These firefighters did not have a chance.”
Officials did not release his name, nor did they say what kind of gun was found.
Officials said crews responded to a fire at Canfield Mountain just north of Coeur d’Alene around 1:30pm, and gunshots were reported about half an hour later.
Investigators said the gunman acted alone.
Three victims were brought to Kootenai Health, said hospital spokesperson Kim Anderson. Two were dead on arrival and the third was being treated for injuries, Anderson said. The wounded firefighter was “fighting for his life” after surgery and was in stable condition.
First responders made urgent calls for help on their radios: “Everybody’s shot up here … send law enforcement now,” according to one dispatch.
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Governor Brad Little said “multiple” firefighting personnel were attacked.
“This is a heinous direct assault on our brave firefighters,” Little said on X. “I ask all Idahoans to pray for them and their families as we wait to learn more.”
Norris said it appeared the sniper was hiding in the rugged terrain and using a high-powered rifle. He said he instructed deputies to fire back.
The Idaho House Republican Leadership said in a statement: “We are horrified by the murder of two firefighters in Coeur d’Alene, and shocked by such a vicious attack on our first responders. We are praying for them, the injured, their families and their colleagues.”
Coeur d’Alene is a city of 55,000 residents near the border with Washington. Canfield Mountain is a popular hiking and biking area on the city’s outskirts, covered with trees and heavy brush and crisscrossed with trails that lead into a national forest.
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