Two people shot dead in Idaho while responding to brush fire
Two people were fatally shot dead in a community of mountains in the American Western state of Idaho while responding to a brush fire, the officials say.
The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Bureau Robert Norris said that at least one active shooter was shooting on the police with a high power rifle near the city of Alene’s heart.
“We actively take elite shooters when we speak,” said Sheriff Norris, adding that the officers had reported bullets from various directions. Residents were invited to avoid the scene of Canfield Mountain.
FBI’s deputy director Dan Bongino said the agents responded to “provide tactical and operational support”. Governor Brad Little said that “several heroic firefighters” had been attacked.
“This is an odious direct assault on our brave firefighters,” posted the governor on X. “I ask all the Idahoans to pray for them and their families while we are waiting to find out more.”
He added: “While this situation is still developing, please stay away from the region to allow police and firefighters to do their job.”
Sheriff Norris said on Sunday at a press conference that “we do not know if there were one, two, three or four” shooters on the scene, about four miles (6.5 km) north of the Central Coeur d’Alene.
“We do not know how many suspects are up there, and we do not know how many victims there are,” he said.
Sheriff Norris said the authorities thought the two people killed were firefighters.
“I hope someone has a clear blow and is able to neutralize, because they are not at that time showing proof of wanting to go,” added the sheriff.
He told journalists that there were civilians on Canfield Mountain, who is crisscrosing of hiking and cycling, so he would be sure to assume that “others were still up there.
Sheriff Norris said that the call about the brush fire came around 13:22 local time (19:22 GMT) on Sunday. At 2:00 p.m., firefighters reported shots.
The brush fire was still burning in the middle of the shooting.
Local firefighter chief Pat Riley told KHQ television station that he had been “broken” by the attack.
The Kootenai County Emergency Management Office sent an alert asking people to avoid the area around the start of the Canfield Mountain and Nettleton Gulch Road trail.
