Police identify firefighter ambush suspect after two killed in deadly gunfight

The man behind the Idaho firefighter ambush shooting has been named as Wess Roley, officials revealed under anonymity due to not being cleared to discuss the ongoing investigation.

Details about 20-year-old Mr Roley and his motives for the attack have not been disclosed by police, who believe he did not leave a manifesto behind.

In the shocking hours-long gun battle on Sunday, an individual armed with a rifle ignited the wildfire in a northern Idaho mountain community and opened fire on first responders. This resulted in the death of two firefighters and caused serious injury to another during the hours of gunfire.

Local sources indicate that police discovered the suspect's body, along with a firearm, as the blaze closed in on law enforcement officers. It's reported that police were able to locate the suspect by tracking his mobile phone to where his body was found.

"Right now, behind the scenes, there's a lot of work going on to really understand who this individual is and what motivated them to carry out this attack," Shawn Turner, former US national intelligence communications director, told CNN on Monday.

Investigators are delving into "whether or not there was some sort of tension; some sort of strife, conflict between local law enforcement and this individual," Turner further commented.

The cellphone signal on Canfield Mountain caught the attention of authorities at the time the shooter was believed to be there. "We had a cell phone activation that was in the same spot since about 3.16pm, and that it was in the same area," Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris explained.

"And we honed in on that cellphone, and we saw that there was a male, appeared to be deceased, with a weapon nearby," Norris continued.

Sheriff's officials reported that crews responded to a fire at Canfield Mountain just north of Coeur d'Alene around 1.30pm Sunday, and gunshots were heard approximately half an hour later.

"We do believe that the suspect started the fire, and we do believe that it was an ambush and it was intentional," Norris stated at a Sunday night press conference. "These firefighters did not have a chance."

Three victims were brought to Kootenai Health, according to hospital spokesperson Kim Anderson. Two were dead on arrival, and the third was being treated for serious injuries, Anderson said.

The wounded firefighter was "fighting for his life" after surgery and was in stable condition, Norris said.

One of the firefighters was a part of the Coeur D'Alene Fire Department, while the other hailed from Kootenai County Fire and Rescue, Norris said at a news conference. Their names were not immediately released.

The scene was utter chaos as the brush fire raged and firefighters dashed to the site, only to be met with a barrage of gunfire. Urgent pleas for backup were broadcast over the radios by first responders: "Everybody's shot up here ... send law enforcement now," one dispatch revealed.

The sheriff praised federal agencies for providing sophisticated technology that was instrumental in tracking the mobile phone signal.

Norris underscored the contribution of aerial law enforcement units: "There are some helicopters that had some really good technology that were able to pinpoint where that cellphone activity was. So yeah, there were our federal partners assisting us in this situation."

These helicopters not only helped in pinpointing the alleged gunman but were also ready to deal with any imminent threats, Norris confirmed.

"We had helicopters that were up, and we had snipers in them. So, if they had an opportunity to take a shot, then we wanted them to take that shot," he declared.