A gunman ambushed and shot dead two firefighters responding to a forest fire in northern Idaho on Sunday, wounding one other during an hours-long incident before the suspect was found dead.
Police and firefighters took sniper fire during the incident at Canfield Mountain, a nature zone popular with hikers near Coeur d’Alene, about 420km (260 miles) east of Seattle, sheriff Bob Norris said.
“We do believe that the suspect started the fire,” Mr Norris told a press conference. “This was a total ambush. These firefighters did not have a chance.”
A third wounded firefighter was “fighting for his life” after surgery and was in a stable condition, Mr Norris added.
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Officers exchanged gunfire with the suspect but it was not clear if the gunman was hit and killed, or if he killed himself.
The motive for the shooting was not known and the sheriff did not provide any details on the suspect, saying officers were still working to identify the man.
More than 300 law enforcement officers from the city, county, state and federal levels responded to the scene of the shooting, including two helicopters with snipers aboard.
Mr Norris said the shooter used a high-powered sporting rifle to fire rapidly at first responders, with law enforcement initially unsure of the number of perpetrators involved.
He said officers would likely find more guns at the scene on Monday, once the fire was extinguished.
Firefighters came under fire almost immediately upon arriving at the scene and did not know where the gunfire was coming from.
The suspect was found using cell phone location information and his body was removed by a Swat team as the fire approached.
Video showed smoke billowing from heavily wooded hillsides and armed responders preparing, while several ambulances and emergency vehicles were seen entering a nearby hospital.
“This is a heinous direct assault on our brave firefighters,” Idaho governor Brad Little said on X. “I ask all Idahoans to pray for them and their families as we wait to learn more.” – Reuters
