6 hours Ago
The gunman began shooting a powerful rifle around 3 p.m. Sunday near Canfield Mountain, Kootenai County Sheriff's Office said. Police later found a dead male not far from the scene during a tense hours-long standoff where officers fired back and used helicopters fitted with heat-seeking devices to find the suspect.
The man was discovered dead near a weapon, but officials have not released details about his name, background, or cause of death. The man, who was wearing fatigues and armed with a semiautomatic assault rifle, moved alone on foot through thick terrain while firing and moving south, said the sheriff, Robert Norris, who believed it was possible that the man may have stashed his weapons.
"This was a total ambush. These firefighters did not have a chance,” Sheriff Norris said, describing the incident as a “heinous” act. Investigators needed to retrieve the body “before the advancing fire approached,” he added.
Neighbors Stunned as Probe Continues
The episode took place just north of downtown Coeur d’Alene, a city of some 56,000 near Washington State. The fire was brought to authorities’ attention at 13:22 local time and gunfire could be heard by first responders by 14:00. The fire quickly spread to 20 acres and kept burning into Sunday evening.
More than 300 local law enforcement officers, as well as F.B.I. agents, rushed to the scene, which was shrouded in thick brush and heavy trees, and it was hard to find the gunman. Aerial search efforts were also hindered by smoke from the wildfire.
Residents were first ordered to shelter in place and authorities warned them to keep out of the area. The shelter order was lifted later in the evening, but officials had asked people to remain vigilant.
The fallen firefighters — one from the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department, and another from Kootenai County Fire and Rescue — had not been publicly identified as of Monday. A third firefighter was in surgery after being shot in the assault.
A motorcade will drive the bodies to Spokane, Wash., in a group of emergency vehicles.
Grief and Outrage in Aftermath
The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) announced the deaths, with union president Edward Kelly describing the ambush as a "heinous act of violence" and asking for prayers for the victims and their families.
Local fire chief Pat Riley said he was broken-hearted by the loss. “We’re heartbroken,” he said in local news reports.
The news stunned lifelong resident Linda Tiger, 80, who lived in Coeur d’Alene for just shy of three decades. “This has never happened here,” she said. “It shows that no one is immune to this type of mental sorrow.”
Sheriff Norris cautioned that the information was still “very, very preliminary,” as investigators continue to put together what happened. The response was further complicated by the continuing threat of the wildfire, he added.
It remains unclear what prompted the ambush, and authorities are investigating whether other threats exist in the area.
