A firefighting crew in Idaho came under sudden gunfire on Sunday, leaving at least two people dead in what has become an active and dangerous standoff, local officials said.
The attack took place in Kootenai County, where firefighters were battling an intense wildfire burning across the rugged mountainside when unknown gunmen ambushed them. Sheriff Robert Norris told reporters that law enforcement officers engaged in a gun battle with the attackers, though it remains unclear how many shooters were involved as the chaotic situation continued to unfold.
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“We now have two deaths. We have an unknown amount of casualties. We still have civilians that are coming off of that mountain… We are actively taking sniper fire as we speak,” he said at a press conference.
The shooter showed “no evidence of wanting to surrender,” he continued, adding: “As soon as somebody has a clear shot, I encourage them to take that shot to neutralize the threat.”
He said authorities believed the two people who were killed were firemen.
Fire Chief Pat Riley could barely hide his grief as he spoke to local station KHQ, describing the ambush as utterly “heartbreaking.”
Despite flames still consuming parts of the mountainside, officials said there had been no immediate need to evacuate nearby communities. However, Sheriff Robert Norris urged residents to remain indoors and take precautions until law enforcement could bring the tense standoff to an end.
Gun violence continues to cast a dark shadow across the United States, where firearms remain widely accessible with minimal regulation in many areas.
So far this year, the Gun Violence Archive reports that there have been 189 mass shooting incidents nationwide — each defined as an attack in which four or more people, not including the shooter, are injured or killed.