BOISE, Idaho (WFRV) – One of the two firefighters fatally shot while responding to a wildfire in northern Idaho was a graduate of Neenah High School.
Battalion Chief Frank Harwood, 42, who had served with the Kootenai County Fire Department for 17 years and graduated from Neenah High School in 2001, was killed in the line of duty.
Authorities say firefighters initially responded to a brushfire Sunday afternoon at Canfield Mountain, a popular recreation area near Coeur d’Alene. Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris said a man began shooting at the crew after they asked him to move his vehicle.
Law enforcement locked down nearby neighborhoods and began searching for the suspect in rugged terrain filled with smoke, dense brush, and trees. It was initially unclear whether any hikers or bystanders were injured or trapped.
Also killed in the shooting was Coeur d’Alene Fire Department Battalion Chief John Morrison, 52, a 28-year veteran of the department. Coeur d’Alene Fire Engineer David Tysdal, 47, was critically injured and had undergone two surgeries as of Monday.
The suspected gunman has been identified as Wess Roley, according to an Associated Press source who spoke on condition of anonymity. Sheriff Norris said Roley had ties to California and Arizona and had been living in Idaho for much of 2024, possibly out of his vehicle. He also had relatives in the Priest River area.
T.J. Franks Jr., a former roommate of Roley in Sandpoint, Idaho, told reporters he grew concerned about Roley’s erratic behavior earlier this year. Franks said Roley once threw gang signs at cameras in the apartment and left his vehicle running for 12 hours while asleep. He later shaved his head and began acting increasingly unstable, Franks said.
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“We just kind of noticed him starting to decline or kind of go downhill,” he said.
Authorities have not released any additional details, and the investigation is ongoing.
