'Not a loner, wanted to be...': Grandfather of Idaho shooter Wess Roley says he had no reason to attack firefighters

20-year-old Wess Roley who started a brush fire deliberately and then shot at firefighters when they responded to the fire in a shockingly bizarre incident in Idaho Sunday had no reason to do that, his grandfather, Dale Roley, told CNN. Wess Roley was found dead at the site of the fire hours after he created the senseless tragedy.

Though Wess Roley had a tumultuous childhood with his parents divorcing when he was 10 years old, his grandfather said he had loving family and friends. He went to vacation in Hawaii with his mother last year. Dale Roley told CNN that his grandson came from a family of arborists and had been working in the tree service industry while trying to figure out his career path.

“He wanted to be a fireman – he was doing tree work and he wanted to be a fireman in the forest,” Dale Roley said. “As far as I know, he was actually pursuing it.”

His grandfather confirmed that the 20-year-old owned a shotgun and a long rifle. It's not known whether the sniper ambush was carried out with these firearms.

“It wasn’t like he was a loner,” Dale Roley told CNN. “We had no reason to suspect that he would be involved in something like this.” He said he was holding out hope that his grandson wasn’t actually the shooter.

CNN reported that Wess Roley had previously lived in the Phoenix area. A running website said that he ran track at a high school in the area and was a member of the school’s class of 2024.

Idaho Gov. Brad Little has ordered that flags in the state fly at half-staff to honor the firefighters killed in the ambush on Sunday.

A major political tussle is going on X over Roley's MAGA link as his step parents were seen sporting MAGA hats but his Roley's political leanings are not known. MAGA supporters dismissed the claims and said MAGA supporters never attack first responders.