Kootenai County Sheriff Robert Norris has confirmed that two firefighters were killed and a third one is still hospitalized after they were ambushed when responding to a brush fire in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. In a news conference, Norris termed the attack a ‘total ambush’, stating, “These firefighters did not have a chance.”
Of the two dead firefighters, one was from Coeur D’Alene Fire Department, while the other was employed with Kootenai County Fire and Rescue, authorities stated. The wounded firefighter, from Coeur D’Alene Fire as well, is stable but ‘fighting for his life’, said Norris.
The investigators opine that the suspect intentionally ignited the brush fire in order to draw the firefighters into an ambush. “We do believe he started it and it was totally intentional what he did,” Norris said.
Soon after the shooting, police found the body of a man on Canfield Mountain alongside a weapon. Norris reported that, preliminary findings notwithstanding, they think he was the only shooter. “Based on the preliminary information, we think that was the only shooter up on that mountain at that point,” he stated, adding, “There is no threat to the community at this point.
The suspect’s body had to be removed from the area rapidly because of the approaching fire. “We thought that with the fire coming, we needed to scoop up (the suspect’s) body,” Norris said, describing the location as ‘compromised’. He continued, “We did what we had to do to maintain the body.”
Officer’s believe that possibly there are additional weapons present at the location. “We don’t know if there are additional weapons on the property that he might have. There is a suspicion that he ran and fired,” Norris explained. “There’s a possibility when we are able to enter the scene for a second time tomorrow without the possibility of fire that we’ll uncover other weapons that were deployed.”
In the meantime, attempts are being made to create a full profile of the dead suspect. Jason Pack, a retired Supervisory Special Agent with the FBI, said that investigators will serve search warrants on real estate associated with the suspect and ‘begin working backward and creating a profile of him’.
“They’ll be attempting to try to identify any individuals who he might have known, who he might have been associated with, or who he’s connected with, and attempt to begin answering the why,” Pack said.
Authorities have not yet released the victims’ names, but the disaster has put a spotlight on hazards faced by first responders, even when responding to a simple call like a brush fire.
