The suspect in the Idado firefighter ambush had posted a chilling photo on his Instagram before the attack, soundtracked by a Bjork song titled, “Hunter”.
The suspect was named Monday as Wess Roley, a 20-year-old with no criminal history.
He killed Kootenai County Fire and Rescue Chief Frank Harwood, 42, and Coeur d’Alene Fire Department Battalion Chief John Morrison, 52, when they were responding to a brush fire in Canfield Mountain on Sunday afternoon. A third firefighter, Coeur d’Alene Fire Department’s Dave Tysdal, 47, was wounded and is in critical condition in hospital after two surgeries.
On Monday, Kootenai County Sheriff Robert Norris shared an Instagram Story that showed Roley in camouflage gear and facepaint and carrying what looks like ammunition.
Norris said the post was discovered “right before” the deadly ambush, but he was unaware of how long it had been online or when the photo was taken. It has now been deleted, with the entire page being wiped, Norris added. He was unsure by whom.
The song “Hunter” by Icelandic singer Bjork was used to soundtrack the post. Released in 1998, it contains the lyrics, “I’m going hunting, I’m the hunter, I’ll bring back the goods but I don’t know when… you left me on my own, to complete the mission, now I’m leaving it all behind.”
Norris said they were sharing the social media photos to try and discover any possible “intent” and “motive” for the crime, although the sheriff ruled out any “Islamic Jihad” connection that had been part of online conspiracy theories.
“These social media posts are what we call open-source information,” Norris said. “This is all an effort to find out intent.”
Police believe Roley lit the fire with a flint starter they found on his body, and allegedly shot at the firefighters when they asked him to move his car.
Authorities believe the suspect shot himself at the crime scene, with a firearm found nearby. An autopsy has yet to be conducted.
The sheriff also revealed Roley had “at one time” wanted to be a firefighter.
“We don’t know if there’s a nexus to that desire and what happened yesterday,” Norris said. “We’re still processing the scene, it’ll take a few days to do that.”
In a statement, Roley’s stepfather Tony Cuchiara said he could not explain the behavior. “We do not understand why this happened or how this came about. Our hearts and spirits are broken for the lost and hurting, and for our own loss as well.”
The family would co-operate with police as they process “this heinous tragedy in our own family.”
Former classmates of Roley told CNN he could be “verbally aggressive” at times.
They attended North Phoenix Preparatory Academy in Arizona with Roley, and said he was a below-average student and a loner.
One former classmate, who remained anonymous, said Roley had images of weapons and hate symbols in a journal. Another said he was “verbally aggressive” but also friendly and fun when playing video games, adding, “it was difficult to play with him… you would take him in doses.”
Sheriff Norris revealed the suspect appeared to have been living in his car, which police “had the frame of mind” to push down an embankment on Sunday afternoon to make sure he could not escape the scene.
Previous to Sunday, local police had interacted with Roley several times, including an incident when he was trespassing. “He cooperated on each one,” Norris said, “he was told the owner’s asking you to leave, he left.”
The fire Roley started has yet to be contained, but has not grown.
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