The shocking sniper shooting of several Idaho firefighters has conspiracy theorists questioning if revenge plot was motivation for the attack.
Sniper shooting kills two firefighters
The sniper who gunned down two firefighters and wounded a third in a shocking ambush has been identified as Wess Roley, according to police.
The sniper shooting unfolded Sunday on Canfield Mountain near Coeur d’Alene and is now fueling speculation that the killings may be linked to a decades-old grudge involving a notorious hate group.
Roley was discovered deceased next to his weapon on the mountainside shortly after opening fire on emergency responders.
Law enforcement officials believe the brush fire that lured firefighters into the area was intentionally set as bait for the ambush.
“It’s clear to me that this fire was set intentionally to draw us in,” one firefighter shouted over a radio scanner, pleading for police backup. “Everybody’s shot up here! Stop. Do not come up here.”
Two of the victims, one from the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department and another with Kootenai County Fire & Rescue, were killed on arrival. A third was rushed to surgery in critical condition, but has since stabilized.
300 local, state, and FBI law enforcement agents responded to the scene.
Suspect found dead on scene
The gunman’s motives remain under investigation. But Sheriff Robert Norris confirmed that Roley appeared to have started the fire to lure first responders into the line of fire.
“We believe that was the only shooter who was on that mountain at that time,” Norris stated.
He added that cellphone data led authorities to the shooter’s body around 3:16 p.m., where they located a man believed to be Roley with a weapon close by.
Whether the fatal shot was self-inflicted or fired by police is still unclear.
The blaze, which erupted around 1:21 p.m., rapidly grew to consume 20 acres. Crews were forced to retreat as the gunman continued firing.
Chief Pat Riley of the Northern Lakes Fire District announced he would not risk deploying additional personnel until the area was secure.
Sniper shooting sparks conspiracy theories
But while investigators focus on the facts of the shooting, speculation is already swirling online.
Observers noted that the ambush occurred on the exact anniversary of the 2001 fire department training exercise that burned down the Aryan Nations compound in nearby Hayden Lake.
That compound, once the headquarters of white supremacist leader Richard Butler, was seized after a $6.3 million civil judgment in favor of Victoria Keenan, a Native American woman who was attacked by the group’s armed guards.
Keenan later sold the property to a philanthropist who turned it over to the Coeur d’Alene fire department for demolition.
“I do not think it is a coincidence that on this date in 2001, firefighters in Coeur d’Alene burned down the Aryan Nation founder’s compound in a training exercise,” one X user posted. “The tragic current events are unfolding nearby.”
Another wrote, “Richard Butler made his base there, and despite being pushed out, they have returned in the last few years.”
Though authorities have not linked Roley to the Aryan Nations or any extremist group, the timing and location of the attack have raised eyebrows.
The compound site lies just seven miles from the Canfield Mountain ambush.
Sheriff Norris did not speculate on the motive but maintained that the fire was “intentional” and part of a calculated ambush.
His office has since lifted the shelter-in-place order for local residents, although the wildfire continues to burn.
Idaho Governor Brad Little condemned the violence. “All our public safety officers, especially our firefighters, bravely confront danger on a daily basis, but we have never seen a heinous act of violence like this on our firefighters before,” he said.
Multiple heroic firefighters were attacked today while responding to a fire in North Idaho. This is a heinous direct assault on our brave firefighters. I ask all Idahoans to pray for them and their families as we wait to learn more. Teresa and I are heartbroken.
As this…
— Brad Little (@GovernorLittle) June 29, 2025
“This is not Idaho. This indescribable loss is felt deeply by all those in the firefighting community and beyond.”
“I ask all Idahoans to pray for them and their families as we wait to learn more,” he continued, adding that he and his wife were “heartbroken” by the tragedy.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem also weighed in on the incident.
“Pray for Idaho’s first responders,” she wrote on X. “Justice will be served.”
