Suspect accused of starting blaze, killing firefighters lived in Oklahoma before moving to Idaho

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The man accused of killing two firefighters and injuring another after starting a fire and ambushing first responders in Idaho has an Oklahoma connection.

Handout screenshots of suspect Wess Roley
Handout screenshots of suspect Wess Roley’s Instagram story are seen at the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office during a press conference the day after Roley ambushed, shot and killed multiple firefighters responding to a wildfire at Canfield Mountain Monday, June 30, 2025, in Hayden, Idaho. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Roley spent nearly a year in Oklahoma, living with his grandfather before moving to Idaho. That grandfather told CNN that he’s shocked by the news.
“Nobody had any inclination that this was possible, just a regular kid,” Roley’s grandfather, Dale Roley, said.
Police say Wess Roley, 20, allegedly lured firefighters by starting a brush fire in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. He then opened fire, killing Battalion Chiefs Frank Harwood, 42, and John Morrison, 52, and critically injuring engineer Dave Tysdal.

Roley also was found dead at the scene from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Dale Roley told CNN that his grandson came from a family of arborists and had been working in the tree service industry while trying to figure out his career path.

Video Below: What we know about the 20-year-old suspect in the deadly ambush on firefighters in Idaho

“He wanted to be a fireman – he was doing tree work and he wanted to be a fireman in the forest,” Dale Roley said. “As far as I know, he was actually pursuing it.