Who is Wess Roley? The Man Behind the Idaho Firefighter Shooting Incident

The suspect who shot and killed two firefighters Sunday in Idaho after starting a brush fire claimed he wanted to pursue a career as a firefighter, his grandfather told CNN.

Wess Roley, 20, was identified by a law enforcement official as the suspect in a shooting in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, that left two firefighters responding to a blaze dead. The shooting also wounded another firefighter.

Authorities said Roley was found dead at the scene, and appeared to have shot himself.

Roley's grandfather, Dale Roley, told CNN on Monday that his grandson came from a family of arborists and had worked in the tree service industry while trying to figure out his career path.

Police said Wess Roley shot first responders from a tree, a testament to his extensive climbing experience with his family. His motive remains unknown and no manifesto has been found.

"He wanted to be a firefighter — he worked in trees and he wanted to be a firefighter in the woods," Dale Roley said. "As far as I know, he was really into it."

Wess Roley owned a shotgun and a rifle, his grandfather said. Investigators believe a shotgun was used in Sunday's attack, but have not ruled out additional firearms.

Dale Roley said he usually talks to his grandson weekly, but they haven't spoken in the past month because Wess Roley lost his phone. He said the suspect has a loving family and friends. He even vacationed in Hawaii with his mother last year, according to social media posts.

Officials said it appeared Wess Roley was living in his vehicle, which remained at the scene and has not been inventoried.

"He was not a loner," Dale Roley said. "We had no reason to think he would be involved in something like this." He said he hoped his grandson was not the shooter.

Roley previously lived in California, Arizona and Idaho, authorities said. A running website said he ran track at a high school in Arizona and was a member of the school's class of 2024.

Two of Roley’s former classmates in Arizona described him as a struggling student who sometimes let out his anger. He could be friendly at times, they said, but he was withdrawn from his peers.

A third former classmate described Roley as sometimes “verbally aggressive,” but also said he had the ability to be friendly and fun.

“He made us laugh out loud,” the classmate said. They played with airsoft guns and video games, but he was sometimes “hard to play with.”

Court documents show that Roley had a tumultuous family life growing up.

His mother filed for divorce in September 2015, when her son was 10, and wrote in court documents that her husband had threatened her, pushed her to the ground and “punched holes in some walls.”

“He threatened to sit outside my house with a sniper rifle or burn my house down,” she wrote.

A judge granted a protective order barring Roley’s father from contact with his wife or son.

But a judge later modified the order to remove his son from the protective order. This was after his father wrote in court documents that "I have not harmed my son or anyone else" and that his wife "did not tell the truth in her statements."

The divorce was granted in November 2015, and Roley's mother was named his "residential parent."

Roley's stepfather described in a statement the confusion and heartbreak among his family members who are still struggling to cope with Sunday's tragedy.

"We do not understand why this happened or how this happened. Our hearts and souls are broken for those who have lost and are hurting, and for our own loss," said a statement released by attorney Tony Cuchiara.

"Our hearts and souls are broken for those who have lost and are hurting, and for our own loss."

The suspect himself has no criminal record, officials said. However, law enforcement in Kootenai County, Idaho, interacted with him five times.

He had relatives near Coeur d'Alene, but it's unclear what he was doing in the area at the time of the shooting, Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris said.

"We know he lived here for most of 2024, but as far as how he got here, why he was here, why he picked this place, I don't know," Norris said.

Roley’s father told a CNN reporter outside his home in Priest River, Idaho, that he was not close to his son and had not seen him since a family gathering last year.

He did not respond to follow-up phone calls about the decade-old allegations in court documents. The suspect’s mother also did not return phone calls Monday morning.

Screenshots circulating on social media from a Facebook account believed to belong to Jason Roley identified him as a former Army cavalry scout and member of the Hooligans outlaw biker club, as reported by The Hindustan Times.

Unverified reports suggest he owns property on Canfield Mountain near Coeur d’Alene, the site of Sunday’s deadly ambush.

A Facebook account linked to Heather Lynn Kuuipo Cuchiara showed recent photos from a trip to Washington, D.C., where she posed in front of the White House wearing a MAGA hat with her current partner.

Other photos showed her vacationing in Hawaii with her son last year. In a post in May, she wished Wess a happy 20th birthday, writing: "So proud of the man you have grown into."

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