Two firefighters died and a third is "fighting for his life" after a gunman appeared to lure emergency personnel to a brush fire in Coeur D'Alene, Idaho, on Sunday, only to open fire once they responded to the scene, the Kootenai County Sheriff said.
Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris said during a news conference on June 29 that the suspected shooter was dead, based on a preliminary investigation.
“We do believe that the suspect started the fire, and we do believe that it was a ambush, and it was intentional,” Norris said.
“This was a total ambush,” Norris added. “These firefighters did not have a chance.”
Norris said the third firefighter was in stable condition after coming out of surgery at the Kootenai Health campus in Coeur d’Alene, about 30 miles east of Spokane, Washington.
The incident began when a 911 caller reported that there was a fire on Canfield Mountain, a popular hiking and recreation area, around 1:12 p.m. local time, Norris said. Fire assets responded to the scene, and around 2 p.m., firefighters began to broadcast that they were being shot at.
More than 300 law enforcement personnel responded to the standoff, trying to locate where the gunfire was coming from.
Officers exchanged gunfire with the gunman, though it is unclear if police killed him, Norris said.
The Kootenai County Sheriff's Department said in a statement on Sunday that SWAT teams had located a deceased man on Canfield Mountain, and that a firearm was located nearby.
Norris said during a news conference that the deceased man appeared to be the lone shooter.
"Based on the preliminary information, we believe that is the only shooter that was on that mountain at that time," he said. "So there is no threat to the community at that at this time."
Norris added that the man's body had been moved from the crime scene because of a fire that was rapidly approaching the body.
"So we had to scoop up that body, and we had to transport that body to a different location," he said.
Officials have not publicly identified the suspected shooter or the firefighters, but Norris said one Coeur d’Alene firefighter and one Kootenai County Fire and Rescue died in the incident. A hospital spokesperson said the two firefighters died before they arrived at the Kootenai Health campus.
Bruce Mattare, chairman of the board of county commissioners in Kootenai County, said during a news conference the ambush had rocked the tight-knit community of Coeur D'Alene.
“June 29, 2025, is a day that we will not forget in this community. It is the day evil showed his face, and we lost two outstanding professionals of the highest quality,” Mattare said.
"I cannot fathom why anyone would commit such a heinous act," Mattare added. "This kind of senseless violence is unheard of here."
Officials were not able to access many parts of the crime scene on Sunday due to the active fire, which grew to about 20 acres overnight, Norris said.
Norris said investigators hope to return to the scene on Monday to continue the investigation. Authorities have not yet identified a motive in the attack.
