Two killed in an “ odious assault ” on the firefighters of Idaho | News of armed violence

The sheriff of the County Kootenai said that law enforcement officials take elite shooters as they hunt the killer.

According to officials, at least two people were killed in the United States after a shooter fired on firefighters by responding to a fire in the state of Idaho.

The Sheriff’s Bureau of the County Kootenai said that the crews had responded to a fire in Canfield Mountain, just north of the city of Coeur d’Alene, around 1:30 p.m. (7:30 p.m. GMT) on Sunday, and shots were reported about half an hour later.

Sheriff Bob Norris said those responsible think the two people killed were firefighters. He didn’t know if someone else had been shot.

The sheriff said that he was not immediately clear if there was a shooter or more and urged the public to stay away from the region.

“We do not know how many suspects are up there, and we do not know how many victims there are there,” Norris told journalists. “We actively take elite shooters when we speak.”

The Canfield mountain, a popular area with hikers, is located near the heart of Alene, a city of 57,000 inhabitants at around 260 miles (420 km) east of Seattle in the state of Washington.

Norris said that the shooters or shooters used high power sports rifles to quickly draw the first stakeholders, and that the authors “are not, for the moment, showing all proof of wanting to go”.

The sheriff said he seemed to be hiding on the rugged ground and using a high power rifle. He said he had asked the deputies to turn.

“If these individuals are not neutralized quickly, this will probably be a several days operation,” he added.

Idaho governor Brad Little said that “multiple” firefighters had been attacked.

“This is an odious direct assault on our brave firefighters,” he said on X. “I ask all the Idahoans to pray for them and their families while we are waiting to find out more.”

He did not give more details on the victims or the way the incident took place.

“While this situation is still developing, please stay away from the region to allow the police and firefighters to do their job,” added Little.

The police are investigating the question of whether the fire could have been intentionally ready to attract the first stakeholders to the scene, said the Sheriff of the County of Kootenai, Jeff Howard, ABC News.

The broadcaster reported that the secretary of the Ministry of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, had been informed of the shooting.

The FBI said it had sent technical teams and tactical support to the scene.

“There remains an active and very dangerous scene,” wrote the assistant director of the agency, Dan Bongino, in an article on X.

The possession of firearms is widespread in the United States, where the constitution of the country protects the rights of the Americans to “keep and bear their arms”.

Deaths related to armed violence are common. At least 17,927 people were murdered by a firearm in 2023 in the United States, according to the most recent data available from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.