He shot 2 firefighters dead.

On a Monday morning in northern Idaho, two firefighters were killed and one wounded while responding to a brush fire. The fire was a trap. The suspect, later identified as 20-year-old West Rowley, had started the blaze to lure first responders into a wooded area near Coeur d'Alene, then opened fire with a sniper-style attack. After a multi-hour manhunt involving roughly 300 officers, FBI agents, and aerial surveillance, Rowley was found dead in the woods with a weapon near his body. The sheriff described the scene as "clearly a trap."

The suspect's history and the failure to intervene

Rowley's background, as it emerged during the coverage, painted a picture of someone who had already demonstrated dangerous behavior. He had a prior arrest in 2024 for allegedly attacking a woman with a knife, a felony assault with a deadly weapon charge that was pleaded down to a misdemeanor. He received 80 days in jail with 150 days suspended, was ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation and complete anger management classes, and had a no-contact order issued against him by his own family. His social media activity on X reportedly contained threats and hostility toward authority figures, including police and firefighters.