The man suspected of fatally shooting two firefighters and injuring a third as they responded to a brush fire in Idaho appeared to have used a flint to start the fire in order to lure them to the scene, law enforcement authorities said at a news conference on Monday.
The suspect, identified as Wess Roley, 20, is believed to have climbed a tree and shot the firefighters below with a shotgun, the Kootenai County sheriff, Robert Norris, told reporters.
Law enforcement officers had exchanged fire with the gunman while the wildfire burned. Later, using cellphone signal data, officials found the body of the suspect on the mountain with a firearm nearby. The authorities said on Monday that they believed the suspect, who they think acted alone, died in an apparent suicide.
Mr. Roley’s grandfather, Dale Roley, said in an interview on Monday that his grandson had expressed interest in becoming a forest firefighter. He moved to Idaho last year and was working for a tree company, his grandfather said.
“He was just trying to figure his life out,” Mr. Roley said. “He seemed to be a little bit optimistic.”
Mr. Roley said that he kept in frequent touch with his grandson, but that they last spoke about a month ago because the younger man had lost his cellphone.
“It’s going to be hard to take if it was actually him,” Mr. Roley said. “We’re just hoping it wasn’t.”
Asked whether the suspect had ever sought work with the local fire department, Sheriff Norris said that investigators had not found any firefighting job application or interest form from him.
The shootings over the weekend were not Mr. Roley’s first contact with law enforcement officers, though the previous contacts were described as minor. He had no criminal record. Police officers previously responded to five incidents involving him, which Sheriff Norris described as welfare checks and trespassing complaints. He said that the calls were “very, very minor in nature,” and that the suspect had cooperated with officers.
Mr. Roley appeared to be living in his vehicle at the time of the shootings, Sheriff Norris said.
Firefighters were dispatched after the authorities received a phone call about a fire on Canfield Mountain, on the northeastern edge of Coeur d’Alene, at about 1:21 p.m., Sheriff Norris said on Sunday. It was not immediately clear who made the call; the authorities said they did not think it was the suspect.
About 40 minutes later, firefighters said that they were being shot at, the sheriff said.
As the shooting unfolded, firefighters pleaded for help, according to a feed posted on Broadcastify, a website that provides public access to emergency radio communications. One firefighter reported that they were hiding behind a firefighting rig.
More than 300 law enforcement officers from numerous agencies responded, Sheriff Norris said. The F.B.I. confirmed that its agents were there and helping the local authorities.
As evening fell, the authorities found the suspect’s body and moved it off the mountain because the fire was spreading rapidly, the sheriff said.
The firefighters who died were identified as Frank Harwood, 42, a battalion chief at Kootenai County Fire and Rescue, and John Morrison, 52, a battalion chief at the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department.
Chief Harwood had worked at the department for 17 years and was married with two children. He was also a combat engineer for the Army National Guard.
“This loss is felt by so many, including all of the members of his shift that worked and saw the incident yesterday,” said Chief Christopher Way of Kootenai County Fire and Rescue.
Chief Morrison began his career at the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department in 1996.
The firefighter who was injured in the attack, Dave Tysdal, 47, was in critical condition after undergoing two surgeries, the authorities said on Monday. Firefighter Tysdal, who also worked for the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department, could open his eyes and was surrounded by relatives, according to a family statement that was read at a separate news conference held by both fire departments.
The deadly encounter had played out in the rugged terrain of Canfield Mountain, an area popular with hikers, mountain bikers and motorcyclists. Recent dry conditions had increased the wildfire danger in the region.
The fire has been difficult to fight because of the terrain, and has slowly spread to 26 acres, Sheriff Norris said. He said firefighters had been dropping water on the area from aircraft.
Graham Christensen, a past president of the Lake City Trail Alliance, said that the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department regularly performed brush clearing and fire suppression there, and that he did not know of any naturally caused wildfire that had occurred there in the past two decades.
Mr. Christensen said the attack came as a shock because the area had always felt so safe. “Everybody feels comfortable up there,” he said.
On Sunday, Brian Hadley was riding up the dirt roads around Canfield Mountain to train for a mountain-biking race when a neighbor called him to share the news about the fire. Mr. Hadley turned back, and as he rode down the mountain he heard three gunshots in quick succession. When he reached the parking lot at the base of the mountain, law enforcement officers ordered him out of the area.
“It’s heartbreaking,” he said of the shooting.
Reporting was contributed by Mike Baker, Jack Healy, Mark Walker, Yan Zhuang and David Iversen. Kirsten Noyes contributed research.
Christina Morales is a Times reporter covering Latino communities in the United States.
Devlin Barrett covers the Justice Department and the F.B.I. for The Times.
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