What was to be a routine intervention on a fire turned into a deadly ambush.
This Sunday, June 29, in a mountainous area in northern Idaho in the United States, two firefighters were slaughtered by an ambushed shooter while trying to extinguish a declared fire in a difficult to access sector.
According to the first elements communicated by the local authorities and relayed by Libérationthe fire would have been intentionally lit by the alleged author of the attack, whose body was found a little later in the day.
County sheriff, Robert Norris, evokes a “intentional ambush”: “These firefighters had no chance”, He deplored at a press conference.
From the first shots, the emergency services and the police mobilized massively.
Nearly 300 agents were deployed in the area, including specialized FBI units, who came in reinforcement to coordinate tactical operations.
Violent exchanges of fire took place, but the suspect has shown “No sign of the will to go”, according to the authorities.
The man, only involved in the shooting according to the first observations, was finally found dead.
A firefighter between life and death
In addition to the two victims deceased, a third firefighter was seriously injured. He had to undergo surgery and his condition remains worrying, although stabilized.
“My heart is broken”, reacted the chief of the firefighters of the area, interviewed by the local chain KHQ. The governor of Idaho, Brad Little, also condemned “An odious attack against our courageous firefighters”, in a message broadcast on social networks.
According to the NGO Gun Violence Archive, more than 16,000 people were killed by firearm in the United States in 2024, excluding suicides.
The country has more weapons than residents, with one in three adults with at least one firearm, indicate our colleagues.
