The Idaho man who set a wildfire in order to ambush firefighters left behind a haunting farewell letter to his father before killing two fire officials and taking his own life.
On June 29, 20-year-old Wess Roley opened fire on first responders battling a blaze he had intentionally started on Canfield Mountain near Coeur d'Alene, People reported. Battalion Chief Frank Harwood, 42, and Battalion Chief John Morrison, 52, were both killed at the scene. A third firefighter was injured but survived. Authorities later used cell phone data to locate Roley's body in the nearby woods, where he was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound with a shotgun next to him.
In a press conference on July 22, Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris revealed chilling new details, including the contents of a handwritten letter discovered in Roley's truck. The note, addressed to his father, read:
"Tomorrow I shall go into battle. If I survive it would be with utmost dishonor. I bid thee farewell. I hope that you should live to the fullest extent as you have thus far. I beg that you do not fall into the traps of modern existence with media and other false pleasantries that plague the mind of individuals today."
Investigators also recovered disturbing drawings from Roley's apartment that appeared to show a mountain landscape and a figure with a shotgun pointed at his neck. The sheriff's office noted that Roley had no known ties to hate groups or extremist ideologies, though he had attempted to join the Army twice, once in Arizona in 2023 and again in Idaho in 2024, but was disqualified after missing appointments and failing to follow through.
In May, Roley reportedly walked into a Coeur d'Alene fire station and asked how to become a firefighter but left visibly agitated after learning about the application process. His grandfather later told NBC News that Roley "really respected law enforcement" and "loved firefighters," adding, "Maybe he got rejected or something."
The victims, both longtime veterans of their departments, were remembered for their leadership and dedication. The motive remains unclear, but investigators believe Roley planned the attack and chose the wildfire as a way to lure first responders into a deadly trap.
Originally published on Latin Times
