Idaho shooter’s chilling Instagram story goes viral; Here's what he posted hours before he ambushed firefighters

Just hours before Wess Val Roley opened fire on firefighters in northern Idaho, the suspected gunman posted a chilling message on his social media. In his Instagram story, which is deleted after 24 hours, the 20-year-old was seen wearing a balaclava with what seems like coal-like soot smeared on his face. He also wore a belt of rifle shells and posted his image with a Björk song with lyrics carrying an ominous warning, “I’m going hunting”.

The eerie post surfaces among other details of the horrific incident revealed at a sheriff’s press conference. The story was uploaded shortly before Roley intentionally started a fire on Canfield Mountain near Coeur d’Alene and ambushed first responders, according to officials. In the shootout, two firefighters were killed, while another was critically injured.

Over 300 law enforcement officers from various agencies responded to the scene and spent hours trying to neutralise Roley.

According to the authorities, Roley had been living in his car before the attack, which happened on Sunday (Jun 29). He had at least five interactions with local police over welfare checks and trespassing. He was confronted by the firefighters about his vehicle before he opened fire on them, the police said. Roley died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Watch | Firefighters Ambushed In Idaho, Suspect Identified As Wess Roley

The motive of his actions remains unclear as the investigation is underway. Talking to CNN, the suspect’s grandfather revealed a possible motive for his actions. He said that Roley was looking to switch from his family’s tree service business to a career in wildland firefighting.

“He wanted to be a fireman — he was doing tree work and he wanted to be a fireman in the forest. As far as I know, he was actually pursuing it,” said Dale Roley. He told NBC News that his grandson may have been rejected. “Maybe he got rejected or something,” he said, adding that at 5-foot-8, “his height might have prevented him from joining the department.”

“He loved firefighters. It didn’t make sense that he was shooting firefighters,” he said. “He actually really respected law enforcement… He wanted to be part of a team that he sort of idolised.”