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196
Teen Who Fatally Shot Firefighters Posted Horrifying Instagram Story, Grandpa Discloses Motive
A 20-year-old man—who dreamed of becoming a firefighter—turned his weapon on the very heroes he once admired.
His grandfather has now revealed a possible motive for why Wess Val Roley allegedly started a fire and then lured firefighters into his slaughter site.
Wess fatally shot two firefighters and wounded a third in the sniper-style attack. His body was later found beside his weapon.
Highlights
- Wess Val Roley fatally shot two firefighters and wounded a third in a sniper-style attack.
- He dreamed of becoming a firefighter, but “something must have snapped,” his grandfather said.
- Former classmates claimed he was “obsessed with g*ns” and was expelled over some “trouble with a girl.”
- The slain firefighters were identified as Battalion Chief Frank Harwood and Battalion Chief John Morrison.
“Something must have snapped,” his grandfather said.
RELATED:
Wess Val Roley dreamed of becoming a firefighter, but “something must have snapped,” his grandfather said
Image credits: Facebook
Wess’ grandfather Dale Roley described Wess as “nervous,” “high-strung,” and “kind of a loner.”
But that seemed like “normal issues for kids these days,” he told NBC News.
The attack “didn’t make sense” because he “loved firefighters” and aspired to be one himself, Dale added.
Image credits: KREM 2 News
Hours before opening fire on the firefighters, Wess shared an ominous Instagram Story of him wearing a balaclava.
He appeared to have coal-like soot smeared on his face and had a belt of rifle shells strapped across his chest.
“I’m going hunting,” were the lyrics of the Björk song playing in the background.
The 20-year-old shooter shared an ominous Instagram Story hours before the attack that was later deleted
Image credits: NBC News
The violent attack unfolded on Sunday at Canfield Mountain, near the town of Coeur d’Alene in northern Idaho.
Officials believe Wess intentionally started a wildfire, which prompted firefighters to respond at around 1:30 p.m., according to Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris.
Image credits: NBC News
However, the firefighters were met with a volley of g*nshots and sheer pandemonium when they arrived.
“We do believe that the suspect started the fire, and we do believe that it was an ambush and it was intentional,” the sheriff said at a news conference. “These firefighters did not have a chance.”
Wess hid in the rugged terrain and unleashed a volley of g*nfire at the firefighters as they hid behind trees and a firetruck
Image credits: Facebook
First responders made urgent calls for help as Wess ambushed them with a high-powered rifle while hiding in the rugged terrain.
“Everybody’s shot up here … send law enforcement now,” one dispatch was heard saying on their radio.
Some of the crew members hid behind trees and a fire truck. Others climbed higher on the mountain and took cover.
Meanwhile, the attack hid in the rugged terrain and kept shooting, while the blaze continued spreading across 20 acres.
Former classmates of Wess said he had “N*zi tendencies” and was “obsessed with g*ns”
Image credits: Facebook
Two firefighters lost their lives and a third is now stable, but he is still “fighting for his life,” Bob said.
“June 29, 2025, is a day that we will not forget in this community. It is the day evil showed his face,” said Bruce Mattare, chairman of the Board of County Commissioners in Kootenai County.
“And I cannot fathom why anyone would commit such a heinous act,” he added. “This kind of senseless violence is unheard of here.”
Image credits: Facebook
The sniper’s body was found next to his weapon about six hours after firefighters responded to what they thought was a routine brush fire.
The motive behind the shooting was not immediately clear, and investigators did not find a manifesto.
However, Dale speculated whether his grandson was “rejected” from joining the fire department.
“He loved firefighters … Maybe he got rejected or something,” Wess’ grandfather said
Image credits: Austin-American Statesman
“He actually really respected law enforcement,” Dale told NBC News. “He loved firefighters. It didn’t make sense that he was shooting firefighters. Maybe he got rejected or something.”
He said his grandson’s height of around 5-feet-8 might have stopped his firefighting dreams from coming true.
“I know he had been in contact to get a job with a fire department,” the grandfather added. “He wanted to be part of a team that he sort of idolized.”
Image credits: 10 News
Wess’ mother Heather Lynn Cuchiara and father Jason Roley divorced in November 2015.
It is believed the parents had issues, and Heather had sought an order of protection against her then-husband in 2015.
In one incident that year, Jason allegedly went to her home, punched holes in the walls and damaged her cellphone. He also allegedly pushed her to the ground and threatened to end his own life.
He was arrested for criminal damage and assault over the incident.
The attacker’s parents Heather Lynn Cuchiara and Jason Roley divorced in 2015
Image credits: Facebook
Former classmates of Wess said he had “N*zi tendencies” and was “obsessed with g*ns.”
“My good friend saw drawings of sw*st*kas and g*ns in his notebook. We were all pretty scared of him,” Harry Standley, who used to play the game Call of Duty with Wess, told USA Today.
Image credits: Associated Press
Harry also claimed Wess was expelled and left high school in the middle of sophomore year over some “trouble with a girl.”
“Everybody just thought he was weird,” he added.
The slain firefighters were identified as Battalion Chief Frank Harwood and Battalion Chief John Morrison
Image credits: KREM 2 News
The community is now grieving the tragic passing of two slain firefighters, identified as Battalion Chief Frank Harwood, 42, and Battalion Chief John Morrison, 52.
Engineer Dave Tysdal was wounded in the attack and underwent two successful surgeries on Monday.
If you or someone you know is struggling with self-harm or thoughts of ending their own life, help is available: International Hotlines
“He was very clearly a white supremacist, or at least a sympathizer,” one commented online
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What do you think ?
Sacred Panda 6 months ago (edited)
The mother encouriging the kid posing with guns is also sickening. What a wasteland the US has become
BeesEelsAndPups 6 months ago
Honestly, I tell people not to come here. It's a sh*thole country run by a death cult. You want to see the grand-canyon, look at pictures. You want to go gambling, there are casinos in Portugal, Macau, etc. It's time to boycott the USA.
Load More Replies...
Johnnynatfan 6 months ago
Yeah great country we live in. Thank god Republicans are working hard to keep guns in the hands of mental basket cases like this dude.
Metalhead Turtle 🇺🇦 🇵🇸 6 months ago
GuNs ArEn'T tHe PrObLeM. PeOpLe KìLl PeOpLe. (Sarcasm) While I can see what the last commenter (the one featured in the article) who said that he was 20 and could go on his own for mental health help was getting at... If he was a narcissist like one other commenter said, then (from various people sharing their experiences) it sounds like that might not have helped. I don't think narcissists change. To any Pandas in Idaho, I hope y'all stay safe to the best of your ability.
Paul Kinnear 6 months ago
The photos of the m******d firefighters should have been at the very top of the article, and there should have been NO images of their m******r at all
RedMarbles 6 months ago
Guess BP chooses what will generate more clicks over what's right. I also have an issue with "must have snapped" and "maybe he got rejected or something" somehow equaling "grandpa discloses motive." Misleading title for more clicks. Bored Panda used to be a gem in the middle of the swamp. Now it's clear who it takes PR money and/or favors from, and that it's sold out in the name of more money (at odds with so much of its content and its alleged mission). Tired of the enshittification of good things.
Load More Replies... George Costanza 6 months ago
Young white males with guns is literally the scariest thing in this country.
Bill Shilling 6 months ago
Would it really destroy the ammosexuals out there to insist on better background checks and psychiatric testing before allowing these type guns to be purchased? I own "a*****t rifles" and the ease it took to purchase them amazed me.
LakotaWolf (she/her) 6 months ago
No, but the sad part is that people will get cleverer about purchasing guns and àssault rifles if/when stricter background checks go in. They will just get friends or relatives to purchase the guns "for" them. But I do agree we need stricter background checks - that would at least help stop SOME of this type of violence :(
Load More Replies...
Scott Rackley 6 months ago (edited)
It's Idaho. That's "militias" and "nazis" home base in the US, that state is a s******w.
LakotaWolf (she/her) 6 months ago
I live in California. My state isn't that far from Idaho, as the crow flies (Nevada is the only thing that separates Cali from Idaho.) Here in Cali, we hear certain things about Idaho. We hear about friends-of-friends and neighbors, especially here in Southern California (where I live) who move to Idaho. They are all a certain type of person, shall we say? They all fit within a specific stereotype of a certain group who voted for - and worships - the Mango Mussolini.
Load More Replies...
Pyla 6 months ago (edited)
Coeur d’Alene is reeling. They have happily enabled this white flight growth for nearly 30 years. It’s like Randy Wade and Richard Butler were red capes to a bull. Maria Hinajosa did a piece on CdA for Latino USA and the ugly truth was revealed: a white separatist underbelly. This kid is a symptom of the typical mentality up there.
Beak Hookage 6 months ago
Gosh, it's almost as if giving angry, mentally unstable kids access to deadly weapons tends to end badly. This is utterly horrible on so many levels and these people are out of their minds.
Sacred Panda 6 months ago (edited)
The mother encouriging the kid posing with guns is also sickening. What a wasteland the US has become
BeesEelsAndPups 6 months ago
Honestly, I tell people not to come here. It's a sh*thole country run by a death cult. You want to see the grand-canyon, look at pictures. You want to go gambling, there are casinos in Portugal, Macau, etc. It's time to boycott the USA.
Load More Replies... Johnnynatfan 6 months ago
Yeah great country we live in. Thank god Republicans are working hard to keep guns in the hands of mental basket cases like this dude.
Metalhead Turtle 🇺🇦 🇵🇸 6 months ago
GuNs ArEn'T tHe PrObLeM. PeOpLe KìLl PeOpLe. (Sarcasm) While I can see what the last commenter (the one featured in the article) who said that he was 20 and could go on his own for mental health help was getting at... If he was a narcissist like one other commenter said, then (from various people sharing their experiences) it sounds like that might not have helped. I don't think narcissists change. To any Pandas in Idaho, I hope y'all stay safe to the best of your ability.
Paul Kinnear 6 months ago
The photos of the m******d firefighters should have been at the very top of the article, and there should have been NO images of their m******r at all
RedMarbles 6 months ago
Guess BP chooses what will generate more clicks over what's right. I also have an issue with "must have snapped" and "maybe he got rejected or something" somehow equaling "grandpa discloses motive." Misleading title for more clicks. Bored Panda used to be a gem in the middle of the swamp. Now it's clear who it takes PR money and/or favors from, and that it's sold out in the name of more money (at odds with so much of its content and its alleged mission). Tired of the enshittification of good things.
Load More Replies... George Costanza 6 months ago
Young white males with guns is literally the scariest thing in this country.
Bill Shilling 6 months ago
Would it really destroy the ammosexuals out there to insist on better background checks and psychiatric testing before allowing these type guns to be purchased? I own "a*****t rifles" and the ease it took to purchase them amazed me.
LakotaWolf (she/her) 6 months ago
No, but the sad part is that people will get cleverer about purchasing guns and àssault rifles if/when stricter background checks go in. They will just get friends or relatives to purchase the guns "for" them. But I do agree we need stricter background checks - that would at least help stop SOME of this type of violence :(
Load More Replies... Scott Rackley 6 months ago (edited)
It's Idaho. That's "militias" and "nazis" home base in the US, that state is a s******w.
LakotaWolf (she/her) 6 months ago
I live in California. My state isn't that far from Idaho, as the crow flies (Nevada is the only thing that separates Cali from Idaho.) Here in Cali, we hear certain things about Idaho. We hear about friends-of-friends and neighbors, especially here in Southern California (where I live) who move to Idaho. They are all a certain type of person, shall we say? They all fit within a specific stereotype of a certain group who voted for - and worships - the Mango Mussolini.
Load More Replies... Pyla 6 months ago (edited)
Coeur d’Alene is reeling. They have happily enabled this white flight growth for nearly 30 years. It’s like Randy Wade and Richard Butler were red capes to a bull. Maria Hinajosa did a piece on CdA for Latino USA and the ugly truth was revealed: a white separatist underbelly. This kid is a symptom of the typical mentality up there.
Beak Hookage 6 months ago
Gosh, it's almost as if giving angry, mentally unstable kids access to deadly weapons tends to end badly. This is utterly horrible on so many levels and these people are out of their minds.
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