In the wake of the deadly ambush on responding firefighters in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, the suspect’s grandfather spoke to ABC News on Monday, sharing his grief for those killed and injured in the attack.
Law enforcement officials identified Wess Roley as the suspected gunman in the ambush on Sunday that left two firefighters killed and another injured.
He was found dead on Canfield Mountain after an hourslong manhunt with a shotgun nearby, the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office said. Officials believe he shot himself after the attack.
Speaking via phone in a recorded interview with ABC News, as seen on “World News Tonight with David Muir,” a man describing himself as Wess Roley’s paternal grandfather, Dale Roley, said he was surprised to hear that his grandson was named as the suspect in the deadly ambush.
“Nobody wants to think that their son or grandson is going to do this,” Dale Roley said.
Authorities shared an image of a social media post of suspect Wess Roley during a press conference in Hayden, Idaho, June 30, 2025.
ABC News
Dale Roley said those killed while responding to the brush fire, which officials believe the suspect purposely started before the ambush, “didn’t deserve it.”
“I feel more sad for the people that got killed than I do for him because they didn’t –They didn’t deserve it. It was just, they didn’t go to war. This wasn’t part of their job description.”
He said the last time he spoke to Wess Roley was about four weeks ago — when he said his grandson lost his cell phone and apparently never replaced it.
Dale Roley said his grandson went to work for a tree company in Idaho about a year ago, but he didn’t know which company.
“He had his own apartment. He was doing good,” Dale Roley said. “He had money. He used to go walking in that park all the time. I know that because he had told me about it. “
Dale Roley said that after Wess graduated from high school in Arizona, he came and lived with him in Oklahoma for nearly nine months before Wess moved to Idaho, where his father lives.
That’s where Wess began working for a tree company, Dale Roley said, adding that in the last six months, his grandson appeared to become “kind of a loner.”
Two people are dead after firefighters were ambushed by a gunman, or multiple gunmen, while responding to a brush fire in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, officials said.
KXLY
In a statement on Wednesday, Wess Roley’s family’s attorney Justin P. Whittenton shared a statement on behalf of the family, saying they “intend to fully cooperate with authorities in seeking answers.”
“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,” the family said in the statement.
“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,” the family added.
“Our hearts and spirits are broken for the lost and hurting, and for our own loss as well,” the statement said.
