Wess Roley: Deadly Idaho ambush suspect who killed 2 firefighters identified, shocking links to MAGA revealed

Authorities on Monday confirmed the identity of the suspect found dead on Canfield Mountain on Sunday as 20-year-old Wess Roley, reports CNN. The suspect is believed to be the only shooter involved in the deadly ambush on firefighters in Idaho Sunday, investigators said. Roley is believed to have started a brush fire before shooting at responding firefighters, the Kootenai County sheriff said.

Roley shot dead two firefighters and wounded a third in an ambush attack in Idaho. Roley’s body was found near his weapon at the scene of a fire he allegedly started Sunday afternoon, a law enforcement official told the Associated Press on Monday.

It is unclear whether he was killed by a cop’s bullet or took his own life, Kootenai County Sheriff Robert Norris told a press conference Sunday.


Canfield Mountain is a popular hiking and biking area on the outskirts of Coeur d’Alene, covered with trees and heavy brush and crisscrossed with trails that lead into a national forest.

Fire is always a concern for the region, said Bruce Deming, whose property abuts the trail system. When he noticed smoke on the ridge Sunday afternoon, he wondered why no firefighting helicopters were responding.

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Who is Wess Roley?

Two US firefighters were killed and a third wounded after a man, now identified, started a fire and began shooting at first responders in a "total ambush" which lasted several hours, authorities said. Roley, a 20-year-old male, began shooting after crews responded to a fire at Canfield Mountain, just north of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, on Sunday afternoon, according to BBC.

When firefighters arrived, he opened fire, killing two and critically injuring a third. Roley was later found dead near his weapon, and investigators are now working to uncover his motive behind the calculated and tragic attack.

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Though police are yet to reveal any official details about Roley, speculations are rife on social media regarding his political background. Several posts claimed that his parents are MAGA supporters, according to a TOI report. A photo went viral, claiming to be of his parents, where both of them were seen wearing MAGA hats. an eerie photo of him surfaced showing him glaring sinisterly into the camera. An eerie photo of Wess Rurfaced showing him glaring sinisterly into the camera.

Some reports claimed that Wess Roley was arrested last year for felony assault with a knife. Roley believed to have been employed at his father's farm in Arizona.

(With agency inputs)