Idaho authorities confirmed late Sunday evening that a sniper who lured firefighters to a brush fire that he set in order to ambush them had acted alone and had been found dead.
Two firefighters were killed and a third was in stable condition but “fighting for his life” post-surgery, Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris said at a late-night briefing. One of the firefighters killed was from the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department, and one was from Kootenai County Fire and Rescue, Norris noted, declining to publicly identify the firefighters or the suspect.
“We do believe that the suspect started the fire, and we do believe that it was an ambush and it was intentional,” he said. “These firefighters did not have a chance.”
The fire call came in at 1:21 p.m., and firefighters were conducting reconnaissance on the blaze when bullets began raining down at about 2 p.m., Norris told reporters. Responders suddenly found themselves dodging bullets and requesting urgent assistance while managing a 17,000-square-foot containment area.
About 300 law enforcement officers converged on the chaotic scene, “trying to make heads or tails with what was occurring,” Norris said. Local, state and federal agencies, including the FBI, responded, as did personnel from neighboring Washington State and Montana.
The shooting took place at Canfield Mountain, a popular hiking and biking area of trails on the outskirts of the 55,000-population city of Coeur d’Alene, near the Washington border. Hikers and local residents were ordered to shelter in place, and the area was declared a no-fly zone, especially for drones that could interfere with attempts to stop the shooter. Deputies were instructed to “neutralize the suspect” on sight as helicopter searchers scoured the rocky, forested terrain from above, with their own snipers poised to shoot.
At about 5:30 p.m., authorities homed in on a stationary cell phone signal and “saw that there was a male who appeared to be deceased, with a weapon nearby,” Norris said. He said the gunman acted alone, as evidenced by the trajectory, the type of weapons recovered with him, and the type of injuries inflicted.
“So there is no threat to the community at this time,” Norris said.
The fire, which grew to 20 acres overnight, was approaching the suspect’s body quickly, “so we had to scoop up that body and take it to another location,” he said, which compromised the crime scene but was unavoidable.
The community, particularly the firefighters, were still in shock and “processing,” Norris said.
“June 29, 2025, is a day that we will not forget in this community,” Bruce Mattare, chairman of the Kootenai County board of commissioners, said. “It’s the day evil showed its face, and we lost two outstanding professionals of the highest quality. I cannot fathom why anyone would commit such a heinous act.”
With News Wire Services
