Death by Cop 2021-2025
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Wess Val Roley
Gender : Male
Age : 20
Race : White
Date : 06/29/2025
Location : Canfield Mountain Natural Area
City : Coeur d’Alene
County : Kootenai
State : Idaho
Agency : Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office, Coeur d’Alene Police Department, Idaho State Police, Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office, Bonner County Sheriff’s Office, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Kootenai County Fire & Rescue, Coeur d’Alene Fire Department, Northern Lakes Fire District, Idaho Department of Lands
Officer(s) :Not Disclosed
Cause of Death : Suicide
Event : Suicide under police duress
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
On June 29, 2025, 20-year-old Wess Val Roley deliberately set a brush fire on Canfield Mountain in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, intending to ambush first responders. When firefighters arrived and asked him to move his vehicle, he opened fire, killing two battalion chiefs — Frank Harwood (42) and John Morrison (52) — and critically injuring firefighter David Tysdal. A massive multi-agency manhunt involving over 300 officers, SWAT, FBI, and ATF units ensued. Authorities tracked Roley using cellphone signals, ultimately finding him dead near a firearm later that day in what was reported as a suicide. Originally from Phoenix and most recently living in Idaho, Roley had no major criminal history but was described as an aspiring firefighter who had worked as an arborist and was living in his vehicle. His motive for the calculated attack remains under investigation.
SOURCE LINKS :
https://apnews.com/article/d3ceec2c795aaa13d0ede2993f1681ab
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/6/30/two-idaho-firefighters-shot-dead-what-happened-latest-on-victims-suspect
https://people.com/suspect-identified-in-deadly-idaho-firefighter-shooting-11764029
https://www.thedailybeast.com/wess-roley-identified-as-man-accused-of-killing-idaho-firefighters
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/idaho-firefighters-shot-killed-88frtt5r5
