The Idaho firefighters killed and wounded in a bloody mountainside ambush were identified as decades-long veterans of their departments who were “dedicated” to their communities and families, according to fire officials.
Battalion Chief Frank Harwood, 42, of the Kootenai County Fire and Rescue was one of the two fire fighters shot dead on Canfield Mountain in Coeur d’Alene Sunday afternoon.
He was a firefighter of 17 years, a father of two kids, a loving husband, and a veteran of the Army National Guard where he served as a combat engineer, fire officials told reporters Monday.
Harwood was among two firefighters killed when fire personnel responded to a brush fire on Canfield Mountain and found themselves ambushed by 20-year-old Wess Roley, who opened fire with a shotgun before turning the gun on himself after an hours-long shootout with law enforcement.
The other fatal victim was Coeur d’Alene Fire Department Battalion Chief John Morrison, 52, who first joined the department in 1996 and served more than 28 years.
Coeur d’Alene Fire Department Engineer Dave Tysdal, 47, was wounded in the shootout but survived.
He is in stable but critical condition, fire officials said, and has endured two surgeries since the attack.
“Dave is surrounded by his family and able to open his eyes,” fire officials said.
“These men were dedicated firefighters, they were dedicated to their community,” they added. “These guys were hard workers, they were dedicated to their families.”
Officials called Sunday “one of the absolute darkest days” for both fire departments.
Coeur d’Alene Fire Department Kootenai County Fire and Rescue responded to the scene around 1:30 p.m. and found themselves quickly under fire from Roley, who they had briefly interacted with when they arrived to fight the fire.
Fire officials clarified that there was no indication that the interaction might have sparked the attack, explaining that it was very brief and gave no indication that anything criminal was afoot.
No motivation has been identified in the attack, but terrorism has been ruled out.
Investigators revealed Monday that Roley – a California native who has also lived in Arizona — appeared to have been living in his car recently after moving to Coeur d’Alene sometime in 2024.
The gunman had no criminal record, and had five previous “very, very minor” interactions with police having to do with him parking his car on other people’s property, including a restaurant parking lot, authorities said.
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