(COUER D’ALENE, Idaho) — The suspected gunman who fatally ambushed firefighters in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, on Sunday has been found dead, according to the county’s sheriff.
Responding SWAT team members located a deceased male on Canfield Mountain with a firearm nearby, the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office said in an update Sunday evening.
This comes after an hourslong, multi-agency manhunt in the area.
The ambush on Sunday left two people dead and another injured, gunfire erupting as firefighters responded to a brush fire on the mountain.
Kootenai County Sheriff Robert Norris said during a press briefing that the two fatalities were fire personnel — one from the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department and the other from Kootenai County Fire Department.
“This was a total ambush,” Norris said. “These firefighters did not have a chance.”
The injured individual, who suffered a gunshot wound in the attack, was brought to the Kootenai Health Hospital, the medical center confirmed to ABC News.
The incident unfolded on Sunday afternoon, police said. Norris said the first report regarding the small brush fire was received at 1:21 p.m. Around 2 p.m., firefighters reported they were being shot at.
Some 300 law enforcement officers gathered at the scene, some of whom exchanged gunfire with the suspect, Norris said. Responding authorities received offers of help from the White House and FBI Director Kash Patel, the sheriff added.
At 6:30 p.m., those on the scene were told that the suspect should be neutralized as soon as possible. The notification that the suspect was dead was received at 7:40 p.m., Norris said. Law enforcement recovered the body before the fire spread to the spot, the sheriff said.
Based on the trajectory of fire and the weapon found close to the suspect’s body, Norris said officials believe there was only one shooter.
Law enforcement is investigating whether the fire could have been intentionally set in order to lure first responders to the scene, Kootenai County Sheriff’s Lt. Jeff Howard told ABC News.
The shelter-in-place order has been lifted for Canfield Mountain Trailhead and the surrounding area, but residents are advised to monitor for updates on the ongoing fire.
The FBI assisted authorities in Kootenai County, an agency spokesperson told ABC News.
Idaho Gov. Brad Little called the incident a “heinous direct assault on our brave firefighters.”
“Multiple heroic firefighters were attacked today while responding to a fire in North Idaho,” Little wrote in a post on X. “I ask all Idahoans to pray for them and their families as we wait to learn more,” he added.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has been briefed on the shooting, a DHS official told ABC News.
ABC News’ Tristan Maglunog, Luke Barr, Pierre Thomas and Darren Reynolds contributed to this report.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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