Two killed in ‘heinous assault’ on firefighters in Idaho

Kootenai County Sheriff says instrumentality enforcement officials are taking sniper occurrence arsenic they hunt for the killer.

At slightest 2 radical person been killed successful the United States aft a gunman changeable astatine firefighters responding to a blaze successful the authorities of Idaho, according to officials.

The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office said that crews responded to a occurrence astatine Canfield Mountain, conscionable northbound of the metropolis of Coeur d’Alene, astatine astir 1:30pm (19:30 GMT) connected Sunday, and gunshots were reported astir a fractional hr later.

Sheriff Bob Norris said officials judge the 2 radical killed were occurrence personnel. He did not cognize if anyone other was shot.

The sheriff said it was not instantly wide if determination was 1 gunman oregon more, and urged the nationalist to enactment wide of the area.

“We don’t cognize however galore suspects are up there, and we don’t cognize however galore casualties determination are,” Norris told reporters. “We are actively taking sniper occurrence arsenic we speak.”

The Canfield Mountain, an country fashionable with hikers, is located adjacent Coeur d’Alene, a metropolis of 57,000 radical astir 260 miles (420 km) eastbound of Seattle successful Washington state.

Norris said the shooter oregon shooters were utilizing high-powered sporting rifles to occurrence rapidly astatine archetypal responders, and that the perpetrators “are not, astatine this time, showing immoderate grounds of wanting to surrender”.

The sheriff said it appeared the attacker was hiding successful the rugged terrain and utilizing a high-powered rifle. He said helium has instructed deputies to occurrence back.

“If these individuals are not neutralised quickly, this is going to beryllium apt a multi-day operation,” helium added.

Idaho Governor Brad Little said “multiple” firefighters were attacked.

“This is simply a heinous nonstop battle connected our brave firefighters,” helium said connected X. “I inquire each Idahoans to commune for them and their families arsenic we hold to larn more.”

Little did not springiness further details connected immoderate casualties oregon however the incidental unfolded.

“As this concern is inactive developing, delight enactment wide from the country to let instrumentality enforcement and firefighters to bash their jobs,” Little added.

Law enforcement is investigating whether the occurrence could person been intentionally acceptable to lure archetypal responders to the scene, Kootenai County Sheriff’s Lieutenant Jeff Howard told ABC News.

The broadcaster reported that Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has been briefed connected the shooting.

The FBI said it has sent method teams and tactical enactment to the scene.

“It remains an active, and precise unsafe scene,” the agency’s lawman director, Dan Bongino, wrote successful a station connected X.

Gun ownership is wide successful the US, wherever the country’s Constitution protects the rights of Americans to “keep and carnivore arms”.

Deaths related to weapon unit are common. At slightest 17,927 radical were murdered by a weapon successful 2023 successful the US, according to the astir caller disposable information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.