Authorities said that two firemen were murdered and a third was injured on Sunday when they were shot while responding to a blaze on a mountain in Idaho. The burning was intended to lure the firefighters into an ambush, according to the authorities.
According to Kootenai County Sheriff Robert Norris, who spoke at a news conference late on Sunday night, a tactical response team used mobile phone data to zero in on a wooded location where they discovered the body of what is thought to be the lone suspect and a rifle nearby as flames were swiftly approaching. Norris added that officials were able to detect a signal coming from a cell phone that had been in the same location since approximately 3:16 p.m. local time. They then focused their attention on the cell phone.
According to him, the body and the firearm were removed from the scene as swiftly as possible for the reason that the fire was rapidly approaching. It was unclear whether the suspect had shot himself, despite the fact that gunfire had been exchanged with him from both sides. At a certain point, the government had two helicopters flying overhead, each of which included snipers.
In spite of the fact that the order to shelter in place for inhabitants of the region was rescinded, people were strongly encouraged to be vigilant because the fire was still raging.
“We do believe that the suspect started the fire, and we do believe that it was an ambush and that it was intentional,” Norris said. “We also believe that it was intentional.” They did not have a chance against these firefighters.
The name of the suspect was not made public, and Norris did not disclose the sort of rifle that was discovered or state what the detectives believe the possible motivation of the gunman could have been.
According to him, the fire had spread across around 20 acres, and there were approximately 300 law enforcement officers present at the incident, some of whom were from Spokane, Washington, as well as the FBI.
According to officials from the Sheriff’s Department, workers responded to a fire on Canfield Mountain, which is located just north of Coeur d’Alene, at approximately 1:30 p.m., and approximately half an hour later, gunshots were reported. Over the course of several hours, the firing continued.
Four casualties were transported to Kootenai Health, according to Kim Anderson, who is the spokesperson for the hospital. At the time of arrival, two were already deceased.
In spite of the fact that the injured firefighter was “fighting for his life” following surgery, Norris stated that his condition was stable.
According to Norris, one of the deceased firemen was from the Coeur d’Alene department, while the other was from the Kootenai County Fire and Rescue. He also mentioned that the injured firefighter is from the Coeur d’Alene department.
The governor, Brad Little, stated that “multiple” firefighters were assaulted. “This is a heinous direct assault on our brave firefighters,” Little is quoted as saying on X. “I ask all Idahoans to pray for them and their families as we wait to learn more.”
Norris stated to the press that “We still have civilians that are coming off of that mountain.” This statement was made as the scenario further developed. It is possible that there are civilians who are trapped or in shock on that mountain, so this is a situation that is both very new and very fresh. At this moment, this guy is actively shooting at members of the public safety personnel, and we are preparing to eliminate him. In the shortest amount of time feasible, we are ready to eliminate this suspect altogether.
At the news conference that took place late at night, he stated that the authorities believe that all civilians have been removed from the mountain, including any hikers who were in the vicinity.
About 30 miles away from Spokane, the city of Coeur d’Alene is located near to the border between Idaho and Washington.
