The family of the suspected sniper, Wess Roley, who apparently lured firefighters to a brush fire at Canfield Mountain in Coeur d’Alene in Idaho on Sunday, June 29 has spoken out about the incident.
They shared their condolences
In a statement to the New York Post, the family of the suspected gunman, who has since been identified as Wess Roley, said they “do not understand” how he could have committed such a crime.
RELATED STORIES
“At this time, we, the family of Wess Roley would like to offer our most heartfelt condolences to the families of those whose lives were taken and to the community of Coeur d’Alene at large,” his family said.
Their statement was issued through an attorney
The family’s statement was issued via attorney Justin Whittenton on Monday, June 30.
“There are no words that can suffice for this tragedy and the infinite losses suffered by those affected by this shooting. We do not understand why this happened or how this came about,” they went on.
They feel ‘broken’ by what happened
“Our hearts and spirits are broken for the lost and hurting, and for our own loss as well,” the family added.
They also shared that they intend to fully cooperate with investigators as they “deal with the grief of this heinous tragedy in our own family.”
The incident took place on Sunday
On Sunday, June 29, firefighters responded to a call regarding a brush fire at Canfield Mountain in Coeur d’Alene in Idaho. Around half an hour later, they reported being shot at.
Some 300 law enforcement officers were sent to the scene where they were told to neutralize the suspect as soon as possible. Around six hours later Roley was found dead.
The attack resulted in two fatalities in the fire departments and one injury.
Roley died during the attack
In a news conference on Monday, Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris said Wess Val Roley, 20, is suspected to have set a brush fire to lure and “ambush” firefighters at the scene, per NBC News.
Following an hourslong operation where law enforcement were trying to stop Roley, his body was found with a gun next to it.
His motive is still unknown
According to NBC News, Norris said no manifesto was found and officials are still unaware of a motive.
The attack on the firefighters stunned some members of Roley’s family who said he had dreamt of being a firefighter himself. They added that when his name initially started circulating on the news, they thought he could’ve been a volunteer at the scene.
His grandfather said he ‘must have snapped’
Speaking to NBC News, Roley’s grandfather said that “something must have snapped” for the 20-year-old to commit such an act of violence, especially against firefighters.
“He actually really respected law enforcement,” the grandfather Dale Roley said. “He loved firefighters. It didn’t make sense that he was shooting firefighters. Maybe he got rejected or something.”
