Who is Wess Roley? The suspect behind the Idaho firefighter attack that shocked the nation

The name of the man accused of setting a fire in Idaho, near the border with Washington, and then killing two firefighters and injuring a third who responded to the blaze has been made public.

Wess Roley, 20, was identified by law enforcement officials as the suspect and is believed to have started the fire to lure first responders into a deadly trap. Investigators found Roley’s body about six hours after the fatal shootings began, in an area officials say was affected by the fire.

According to initial reports, Roley had lived near Phoenix, Arizona, with his mother, with his name matching records indicating that he would have graduated from high school in 2024. His parents divorced in 2015, and his father told CNN that he has had limited contact with his son in recent years.

NBC News spoke with some of Roley’s family members, who expressed shock over the attack. His grandfather, Dale Roley, suggested that Wess may have recently been rejected from a program or position within the police or fire department. Dale said he had spoken with his grandson recently, and Wess had mentioned being in contact with the fire department about a possible position. The elder Roley added that his grandson “really respected law enforcement” and “loved firefighters,” which made the attack especially difficult to comprehend.

Roley is believed to have worked for a tree service company and had skills that may have been relevant to wildfire response, such as tree climbing.

Officials believe Roley acted alone

At the start of the investigation, law enforcement officials were unsure whether they were dealing with a single suspect or multiple individuals, due to the confusion caused by the combination of gunfire and flames. At this point, officials believe that Roley acted alone.

*This is a developing story

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