2 firefighters killed in Idaho shooting; gunman still active, sheriff says

by · KSL.com

KEY TAKEAWAYS

  • Two firefighters were killed in a shooting while responding to a fire Sunday in northern Idaho.
  • The gunman remains active, with law enforcement still under sniper fire.
  • Idaho governor urges prayers for victims; investigation and manhunt continue.

COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho — Two firefighters were killed when they were shot at while responding to a fire in northern Idaho, the Kootenai County Sheriff said on Sunday, with law enforcement officers still taking sniper fire and hunting for the killer.

It was not immediately clear if there was one gunman or more, Sheriff Bob Norris told a press conference, adding that civilians may have been struck in the incident unfolding in a nature area in Coeur d'Alene.

"We are prepared to neutralize this suspect who is currently actively shooting at public safety personnel," Norris said.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has been briefed on the Idaho shooting, ABC News reported.

Firefighters received the first call of a fire around 1:21 p.m. local time, Norris said, and about 40 minutes later, reports emerged that they were being shot at.

"This is a heinous direct assault on our brave firefighters," Idaho Gov. Brad Little said on X. "I ask all Idahoans to pray for them and their families as we wait to learn more."

Little did not give further details on any casualties or how the incident unfolded.

"As this situation is still developing, please stay clear from the area to allow law enforcement and firefighters to do their jobs," Little added.

Contributing: Brad Brooks, Costas Pitas

Photos

An armored police vehicle travels towards an area where multiple firefighters were attacked when responding to a fire in the Canfield Mountain area outside Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, Sunday.Young Kwak, Reuters
A Kootenai County EMS vehicle travels towards an area where multiple firefighters were attacked when responding to a fire in the Canfield Mountain area outside Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, Sunday.Young Kwak, Reuters
Kootenai County Sheriff’s deputies block a road leading to an area where multiple firefighters were attacked when responding to a fire in the Canfield Mountain area outside Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, Sunday.Young Kwak, Reuters
An armored police vehicle travels towards an area where multiple firefighters were attacked when responding to a fire in the Canfield Mountain area outside Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, Sunday.Young Kwak, Reuters
Smoke rises after multiple firefighters were attacked when responding to a fire in the Canfield Mountain area outside Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, Sunday.Young Kwak, Reuters

The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.

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