Two people were shot dead by an unidentified shooter while they were engaged in firefighting operations in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, on Sunday afternoon, June 29. The incident took place near Canfield Mountain, which led to a police operation to track down the shooters. It is not clear how many suspects are involved in the shooting. Police request people to stay away from the area.
The incident occurred at around 1.21 pm (Idaho local time) when authorities were responding to a wildfire on the east side of Canfield Mountain in Coeur d'Alene. At approximately 2 pm, a firing took place where two firefighting staff were shot at. After receiving the information, the rescue team, with law enforcement officers, reached the spot and transported the injured to the nearby hospital, where they were declared dead.
The Kootenai County Sheriff's office said police were still "taking sniper fire" several hours later. Idaho governor Brad Little describe the incident an act of a "heinous direct assault on our brave firefighters." "I ask all Idahoans to pray for them and their families as we wait to learn more,” he said on the social media platform X.
"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," said IAFF in a post on X.
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The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), said that three of their members were ambushed while responding to the north Idaho wildfire. Two of them were killed, and another was in surgery.
Additional heavy-duty law enforcement vehicles have arrived at the scene. The sheriff said this is a very, very fresh and active situation and that 'we are actively taking sniper fire as we speak,' adding that they're prepared to take down/neutralise the suspect. According to the sheriff, the crew uses modern, high-powered rifles.
The sheriff said that the shelter-in-place order will remain in effect and is encouraging everyone to stay away from the area. "If these individuals are not neutralised quickly, this is gonna be a likely a multi-day operation." It remains unclear whether there are additional shooters, the sheriff says. "We don't know if there's 1, 2, 3 or 4."
Quoted by the sheriff: "I'm hoping somebody has a clear shot and is able to neutralize because they're not, at this point in time, showing any evidence of wanting to surrender. So as soon as someone has a clear shot, I encourage them to take that shot and neutralize the threat."
A reporter asked, "We know there's at least one, but you said possibly others. Is it coming from multiple different locations that bullets are coming from that might indicate…" The sheriff responded, "Yes. Oh, yeah. Yep. It's what the officers and deputies are reporting up on the mountain right now."