Two firefighters are dead and others injured after a shooting in a mountainous area of Idaho on Sunday afternoon local time.
Local police said at least one gunman with a high-powered rifle shot at firefighters who were responding to a brush fire in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. That fire was intentionally set by the gunman, who then ambushed the firefighters, according to Idaho’s Northern Lakes Fire District.
Hours later, one man was found dead on Canfield Mountain with a firearm nearby, leading officials to lift an earlier shelter-in-place order, according to a press release from the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office.
Despite officials maintaining that the deceased man has not been identified as a shooter and Kootenai County Sheriff Robert Norris suggesting there may have been multiple gunmen involved, a procession of police vehicles was later seen leaving the scene.
More information is expected to be revealed at a press conference scheduled for 12:30 a.m. Eastern time.
International Association of Firefighters President Edward Kelly said that besides the two who were killed, one other firefighter “remains in surgery.”
Shortly after the shooting, Gov. Brad Little (R-ID) called the attack a “heinous direct assault on our brave firefighters” in a statement posted on X.
“Multiple heroic firefighters were attacked today while responding to a fire in North Idaho. This is a heinous direct assault on our brave firefighters. I ask all Idahoans to pray for them and their families as we wait to learn more. Teresa and I are heartbroken. As this situation is still developing, please stay clear from the area to allow law enforcement and firefighters to do their jobs,” Little said.
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FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino indicated on Sunday night that the FBI was on the scene to “provide tactical and operational support.”
One U.S. Marshal was also reportedly at the scene, equipped with a long gun, along with special agents and fire investigators from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
