WORLD NEWS FOR MONTENEGRO DIASPORA
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Author: M.J. Gdnus
An armed assailant ambushed and killed two firefighters battling a wildfire in northern Idaho yesterday, wounding a third in a dramatic hours-long standoff, after which the suspect was found dead, according to the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office.
During the incident on Canfield Mountain — a popular hiking area near Coeur d'Alene, about 260 miles east of Seattle — police and firefighters came under sniper fire, Sheriff Bob Norris said.
“We believe the suspect also started the fire,” Norris told reporters at a press conference. “This was a full-blown ambush. The firefighters had no chance.”
The third injured firefighter underwent surgery and is in stable but critical condition, Norris added.
Police returned fire, but it remains unclear whether the suspect was killed in the exchange or died by suicide.
The motive behind the shooting is unknown, and Norris declined to share details about the suspect, noting that law enforcement is still working to identify the individual.
More than 300 officers from various agencies, including two helicopters carrying snipers, responded to the scene.
Norris said the attacker used a high-powered sporting rifle to rapidly fire at the first responders, and authorities were initially uncertain whether more than one shooter was involved. He did not disclose further information about the weapon recovered, but stated that more weapons might be found once the fire is extinguished.
