Amid his shock and grief, Gabe Eckert — president of the Coeur d’Alene Firefighters’ union — recalled his final memory of John Morrison, battalion chief of the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department.
Eckert told USA Today that he and Morrison recently were on a backyard patio smoking cigars and discussing how they both could keep advancing forward in crucial aspects of life.
‘How devastating for these men to go to work and not come home over something so senseless.’
“We talked about being better fathers, we talked about being better leaders, and we talked about being better firefighters,” Eckert recounted to the paper. “I’m so incredibly grateful that that gets to be my last memory with him.”
Morrison and Frank Harwood — battalion chief of Kootenai County Fire and Rescue — have been identified as the two firefighters who were fatally shot in an ambush Sunday in the woods on Canfield Mountain near Coeur d’Alene.
Wounded in the attack was firefighter Dave Tysdal of the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department, USA Today said, adding that the department’s chief, Tom Greif, said Tysdal was recovering after two surgeries.
Greif and Chief Christopher Way of Kootenai County Fire and Rescue announced in a joint news release the “return home to Coeur d’Alene” for Morrison and Harwood on Tuesday morning in a “procession of emergency vehicles” coming from nearby Spokane County in Washington state. “Our agencies want to thank the community for their overwhelming support during this difficult time,” the release said.
“This community lost two dedicated public servants,” Eckert noted at a news conference, according to USA Today. “These men were dedicated firefighters; they were dedicated to their community. These guys were hard workers who loved their families.”
Harwood, 42, had been with Kootenai County Fire and Rescue for 17 years, Way told the paper, adding that he was married with two children.
“He did an amazing job,” Way noted to USA Today. “This loss is felt by so many.”
Morrison, 52, had been with the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department since 1996, Greif added to the paper.
Edward A. Kelly, general president of the International Association of Fire Fighters, said in a statement that the “ambush killing of two firefighters … is nothing short of horrific” and that “in no civilized nation should first responders be targets for violence.”
One longtime Idaho resident told Blaze News, “I feel for their families. How devastating for these men to go to work and not come home over something so senseless. We are flying flags at half-staff until after the funerals.”
Around 1:21 p.m. Sunday, firefighters were dispatched after receiving a call about a brush fire; about 40 minutes later, first responders reported coming under gunfire.
First responders made urgent calls for help on their radios, the Associated Press reported: “Everybody’s shot up here … send law enforcement now.”
“This was a total ambush,” Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris said. “These firefighters did not have a chance.”
Investigators used cell phone data to locate a signal that hadn’t moved since about 3:16 p.m., USA Today said, adding that authorities just after 7:40 p.m. announced that they had discovered the suspect’s body. A weapon reportedly was near the body.
“It appears that he shot himself,” Norris told journalists, according to BBC News.
Authorities believe the gunman intentionally set the fire to lure firefighters to the scene.
The shooting suspect was identified as Wess Roley, the Associated Press reported Monday, citing a law enforcement official. The AP added that the official spoke on the condition of anonymity because the official wasn’t authorized to discuss the investigation.
Norris told BBC News that Roley, 20, was homeless and attacked fire crews after they asked him to move his vehicle, in which he had been living.
“There was an interaction with the firefighters,” Norris added, according to BBC News. “It has something to do with his vehicle being parked where it was.”
Norris told BBC News that authorities believed the gunman used a high-powered rifle to fire rapidly at first responders; the outlet added that a shotgun was recovered along with several bullets or fragments, possibly from a rifle. Officials noted to BBC News that more guns may be hidden on the mountain.
A man who said he roomed with Roley for a short time told KING-TV he noticed a change in Roley’s demeanor toward the end of his six-month stay.
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Norris also ruled out a suggestion seen on social media that Roley was connected with “Islamic jihad,” BBC News noted — and believe it or not, Norris said at a news conference that Roley once aspired to be a firefighter.
Indeed, Dale Roley — the suspect’s grandfather — told the New York Times that his grandson had an interest in becoming a forest firefighter. The elder Roley added to BBC News that his grandson “had been in contact to get a job with a fire department” and “wanted to be part of a team that he sort of idolized.”
USA Today characterized Wess Roley as a transient with a history of “minor” run-ins with police, mostly about trespassing suspicions, authorities said.
Norris told the paper that Roley came from an “arborist family” and appeared to have fired from up a tree.
A social media post from his mother indicated that Roley moved from Arizona to Idaho in 2023 to work for his father’s tree-trimming company, BBC News said, adding that she wrote in October 2024 that Roley was “doing great living in Idaho.”
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Idaho, Gunman, Coeur d’alene, Sniper, Fatal shooting, Frank harwood, John morrison, Wess roley, Firefighters, Ambush, Crime
