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Police Share Major Update On Shocking Idaho Shooting

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Federal authorities are still working to uncover the identity of the suspect behind a deadly shooting in northern Idaho on Sunday. However, they say that the danger appears to have been brought to an end.

Hours after an area man allegedly opened fire on firefighters with a sniper rifle while they responded to reports of a brushfire, a tense standoff took place as SWAT and K-9 units swarmed the town of Coeur d’Alene on Canfield Mountain. The shooting left two firefighters dead and another wounded.

The Kootenai County Sheriff’s office announced that a SWAT team has located the body of a man believed to be the shooter lying next to a firearm that matches the description of one used in the shooting.

Idaho officials have lifted the shelter-in-place order for the area, but an active wildfire in the area is still ongoing, according to the sheriff’s office. More than 300 police officers have arrived at the site in the past 24 hours.

The International Association of Fire Fighters said that two of its members were killed in the shooting.

“While responding to a fire earlier today in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, IAFF members were ambushed in a heinous act of violence. Two of our brothers were killed by a sniper, and a third brother remains in surgery,” the association said. “Please keep them, their families, and law enforcement in your prayers.”

FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino confirmed on social media that technical teams and tactical assets were on the ground to provide support.

“It remains an active, and very dangerous scene,” he added Sunday night.

Speaking at a new conference, Kootenai County Sheriff Robert Norris said authorities believe the shooter purposely started the brush fire to draw the attention of first responders, who had never trained for such a scenario.

“We do believe the suspect started the fire, and we do believe that it was an ambush and it was intentional,” he said, noting that a preliminary investigation suggests there was only one gunman. “This was a total ambush. These firefighters did not have a chance.”

The sheriff said a decision was made at about 6:30 p.m. to neutralize the shooter. SWAT teams were placed around the mountain, and the gunman’s position was triangulated using cell phone data.

He explained that the crime scene was consumed by the wildfire.

“[W]e felt that as the fire was approaching, we needed to scoop up that body,” he said, Fox News reports.

It’s unclear if the suspect possessed more than one weapon. Norris stated that crews would continue to work overnight, and more may not become known until after the wildfire is extinguished.

The shooting rocked the East Nettleton Gulch, a mountainous region that is sparse in population. Norris said the suspect appeared to have used a “modern-day, high-powered, sporting rifle.”

“We’re taking rapid fire,” Norris said shortly after the shooting began.

An active shooter alert was sent out to area residents, who were urged to stay indoors and keep away from windows. Fire crews retreated from battling the brush fire.

“I would encourage all of you to tell people to stay away from the area, do not come to the area. Stay away from the area,” Norris said earlier. “This is going to be if these, individuals are not neutralized quickly, this is going to be a likely a multi-day operation.”

Residents of Coeur d’Alene could be seen lining the streets of their city Sunday evening, waving American flags as police vehicles drove past.