On the 24th anniversary of the burning of a Neo-Nazi compound by the fire department for a training exercise in Idaho, a sniper tragically claimed the lives of two firefighters.
The ambush killer, named as Wess Roley, was found dead near his gun on Canfield Mountain outside of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho on Sunday evening.
The sniper, who also left a third firefighter in critical condition, started a brush fire that authorities believe was intended to lure the fire department to the scene.
With the incident occurring near Coeur d’Alene, residents are speculating whether this was a retaliatory act connected to the events of June 28 and 29, 2001, when the Aryan Nations compound in Hayden Lake, merely seven miles away, was set ablaze.
The hate group had to forfeit their headquarters in the Idaho town after their security guards opened fire at a mother named Victoria Keenan and her son who stopped outside their compound.
Group leader Richard Butler was forced to sell the compound in a bankruptcy sale after being ordered to pay a $6.3 million settlement to Keenan. She then bought the compound for $95,000.
She sold it to a local philanthropist, who offered to let Coeur D’Alene fire department burn down its dilapidated buildings to help train its firefighters.
Eerie images taken at the time show the race hate group’s meeting facilities consumed by flames.
Law enforcement have said it is too early to comment on a motive for Sunday’s double-murder and have not commented on anniversary speculation.
The unconfirmed theory has been floated on social media, after sleuths realized the dates matched up.
One man said on X: ‘I do not think it is a coincidence, that on this date in 2001 firefighters in Coeur d’Alene burned down the Aryan Nation founder’s compound in a training exercise.’
Another questioned: ‘If the shooter/arsonist has ties to Aryan Nations, it would support this theory. But why would he wait 24yrs to act?’
Authorities say Roley started a brush fire to lure firefighters onto Canfield Mountain, his cellphone signal was used to pinpoint his whereabouts.
He found dead close to his gun, but the Kootenai County Sheriff Robert Norris said it was unclear if he was killed by a cop’s bullet, or if he took his own life.
The sniper’s body was pulled away from the scene just as the blaze the sniper started began to spread across Canfield Mountain.
The fire was first reported at around 1.21pm. Two local firefighters – one from Coeur d’Alene Fire Department and another from Kootenai County Fire & Rescue – were shot and killed while scoping out the scene.
A third was left ‘fighting for his life’ after being struck and rushed to surgery, but is now described as being in a stable condition.
‘This was a total ambush. These firefighters did not have a chance,’ Norris said on Sunday.
Harrowing fire department scanner calls revealed the terror the first responders faced as they arrived on the scene.
‘Send law enforcement right now! There’s an active shooter zone,’ one firefighter could be heard crying out.
‘Everybody’s shot up here!’ the firefighter continued, noting that two battalion chiefs were ‘down’ and he was ‘pinned.’
He was later heard warning his fellow firefighters, ‘Stop. Do not come up here.’ ‘It’s clear to me that this fire was set intentionally to draw us in,’ the firefighter claimed.
The firefighters were ultimately forced to pull back, with Northern Lakes Fire District Chief Pat Riley telling KHQ he would not be deploying any more crew members until the threat was neutralized.
Meanwhile, the blaze continued to grow to cover 20 acres and the gunman kept shooting.
The rapid-fire shooting eventually prompted the evacuation of the Fernan Gun Club, whose members were told there was a sniper in the area, the Coeur d’Alene Press reports.
When Fire Chief Riley got the news of the ambush, he said he ‘was completely heartbroken.’ ‘We trained for this. You never want to see it in your own community.’
By around 4.30pm, Sheriff Norris gave law enforcement the authority to shoot to kill the gunman if they were given the opportunity. He deployed two helicopters with snipers to take out the gunman.
It is now believed the deceased gunman was the only shooter in the attack ‘based on the trajectory [of the bullets] and based on the type of weapons that this individual had that we could recover,’ Norris said.
He explained that it is likely the gunman was running as he fired, as he announced ‘there is no threat to the community at this time.’
Yet the suspect’s motive for the shooting remains unclear. An investigation into the shooting will continue today, when Norris said he expects to find more weapons that were left at the scene.
Idaho Gov. Brad Little called the attack a ‘heinous direct assault on our brave firefighters.
‘I ask all Idahoans to pray for them and their families as we wait to learn more,’ he said, adding that he and his wife are ‘heartbroken’ by the news.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem also said her department was monitoring the situation, saying: ‘Justice will be served’.
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