Joe Yates
The suspect in the killings of two firefighters in Idaho has been described as a 'loner' by his family, as a disturbing social media post appears to depict him moments before the shooting took place.
Frank Harwood and John Morrison were attending to a blaze on Canfield Mountain, near Coeur d’Alene, after a wildfire broke out, when they were picked off by a sniper who had camouflaged himself into the backdrop, on Sunday (June 29).
Wess Roley is suspected of murdering the pair, as well as injuring a third, Dave Tysdal, in cold-blood before taking his own life.
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The 20-year-old is said to have hid in the rocky terrain as Harwood and Morrison - who both respectively served as battalion chiefs for the Kootenai Fire and Rescue Department, and Coeur d’Alene Fire Department respectively - worked towards extinguishing the fire.
However, what the pair didn't know was as they were valiantly fighting the flames, they had walked into an 'ambush' as Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris put it, as investigators found a flint next to Roley's body.
They believe he started the fire and walked up hill to get to higher ground and wait for first responders to show up.
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Now, a since-vanished Instagram Story of the 'loner' has surfaced online, depicting him clad in camouflage, having put face paint on to help blend in to his surroundings - with Björk's song 'Hunter' having played over it.
His grandfather has since spoken out, describing him as 'kind of a loner', as well as being 'high-strung' and appearing 'nervous' at times - all things that Dale Roley dismissed as 'normal issues for kids these days'.
The suspected killer lived with Dale for a few months last year before he moved to Idaho, he explained to NBC News, and in that time he showed concrete interest in joining the fire service - leading him to believe that 'something must have snapped'.
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Dale said: "He actually really respected law enforcement. He loved firefighters, it didn't make sense that he was shooting firefighters - maybe he got rejected or something?
"I know he had been in contact to get a job with a fire department - he wanted to be part of a team that he sort of idolized."
Roley was working in tree service, but had long wanted to be a firefighter - although standing at 5ft 8, Dale thinks that could have been one thing that may have prevented him ever joining the force.
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Speaking shortly after the incident took place, Sheriff Norris told reporters at a press conference that Tysdal, of the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department, is 'fighting for his life but he’s in stable condition'.
“This was a total ambush, these firefighters did not have a chance,” he added.
“We have currently one dead shooter based on the preliminary investigation that was being conducted. Keep in mind we had a fire that was rapidly approaching the body so we had to scoop up that body and we had to transport that body to a different location.
"We believe that it is the only shooter that was on that mountain at that time.”