The United States has been shocked by a senseless tragedy and incomprehensible act of evil. On Sunday, 29 June, two firefighters were shot dead and one was injured by a sniper while responding to a bushfire in a forest near Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.
Authorities suspect that the fire may have been started by the killer to lure his victims to the scene.
Around 300 officers responded to the incident, including a SWAT unit. A manhunt started to locate the suspect, while local officials in Kootenai County, Idaho gave a ‘shelter in place’ order to the locals.
Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino has posted to the social media site X that his agency is providing ‘technical teams and tactical assets’ to help local law enforcement.
Within a couple of hours of the tragic shooting, a deceased man was found, with a rifle nearby him, in Canfield Mountain near the crime scene. Upon the discovery, the shelter order was lifted, as authorities believe the shooter threat is now gone; which also suggests they assume the shooter acted alone. The man is yet to be identified in media reports.
Due to the threat, firefighters were called back from the scene, halting efforts to extinguish the bushfire. Evidently, this poses additional dangers as the wildfire has still not been contained. Back in January of this year, a wildfire in the neighbouring state of California was not put out for weeks and caused around $27 billion worth of damage.
After the firefighter shooting in Idaho, the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) has put out a public statement, writing:
‘While responding to a fire earlier today in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, IAFF members were ambushed in a heinous act of violence. Two of our brothers were killed by a sniper, and a third brother remains in surgery. Please keep them, their families, and law enforcement in your prayers.’
The firefighter who was shot but survived is in stable condition after he received life-saving surgery, Kootenai County Sheriff Robert Norris has informed the public at a press conference.
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho—the nearest town to the location of the shooting—has been described by some in the media as a ‘hotbed of white nationalism’, due to its historical association with the far-right white nationalist group Aryan Nations. However, it has not yet been confirmed whether the shooter had any connection to the group or its ideology.
Law enforcement does believe, however, that the shooter was ideologically motivated, and wanted to make a statement with his heinous act.
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