COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho – In a press conference Tuesday, Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris shared new details on the investigation into the deadly shooting that took the lives of two firefighters in Idaho last month.
Suspect Wess Roley left a letter addressed to his father, found the day before the shooting, which Sheriff Norris read during the press conference.
The letter reads, in part: “Tomorrow I shall go into battle, if I survive it would be the utmost dishonor.”
Roley concluded the letter with a farewell message to his father.
“You are an upstanding individual and I wish you the best,” Roley wrote.
The letter was discovered in Roley’s car at the scene on Canfield Mountain.
In their investigation, the Kootenai County Sheriff’s office said they also found a series of drawings depicting Roley’s plans.
“We see that we have a mountain site here,” Norris said. “We see the parking lot area here. He’s got KILL KILL KILL.”
Another drawing included a self-portrait of Roley.
“And he’s got himself as the figure,” Norris said. “And then he puts the shotgun on the ground – the barrel here, and pulls the trigger.”
Sheriff Norris also confirmed that Roley had approached Coeur d’Alene Fire Department in May 2025, expressing a desire to become a firefighter. However, Roley was informed about the necessary process involving a written exam, a physical agility test, a background investigation, and an oral interview.
“The contact became agitated and frustrated,” Norris said.
The ambush took place the following month on June 29, 2025.
As part of a video released during the conference, The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office released dash cam footage, showing fireman Dave Tisdale and Wess Roley.
At approximately 1:40 p.m., firefighters asked Roley to move his truck, a conversation described as confrontational.
“We believe the first shot was about 1:49 p.m.,” Norris said.
Tisdale was shot first from a distance of about 10 feet. Frank Harwood and John Morrison were then shot and killed.
“Those firefighters died instantly and simultaneously,” Norris said. “The suspect who lied in wait intentionally murdered Frank Harwood and John Morrison. The suspect who laid in wait intentionally attempted to murder Dave Tisdale.”
At the conclusion of the press conference, Sheriff Norris mentioned that some information uncovered in the investigation will remain confidential to protect the families of the fallen firefighters.
