Heather Lynn Kuuipo Cuchiara and Jason Roley are known as the parents of Wess Roley, a 20-year-old boy identified as the suspect in the fatal shooting of two firefighters in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.
On June 29, 2025, at about 1:30 p.m., Wess allegedly used a flint starter to ignite a brush fire on Canfield Mountain.
When firefighters responded, he reportedly shot at them from an elevated position, killing two firefighters and critically injuring another.
After a multi-hour standoff with about 300 law enforcement officers and the FBI, Wess was found dead near his rifle and shotgun. Authorities believe it was a self-inflicted gunshot.
“At this time, no clear motive has been established,” the Sheriff’s Office said.
He was born around 2005 in California. When he was 10 years old, his parents divorced. He lived with his mother in Phoenix and graduated from high school in 2024.
In 2015, Heather Lynn Cuchiara filed for a protective order against her then-husband, Jason Roley. In the legal documents, she accused him of abusive behavior. She claimed that he had threatened her safety, physically assaulted her by pushing her to the ground, and displayed violent outbursts, such as punching multiple holes in the walls of their home.
She wrote, “He threatened to sit outside my house with a sniper rifle or burn my house down,” in the filing.
Finally, the couple divorced in November 2015. A judge initially issued a protective order preventing Jason Roley from having any contact with his wife and their son. However, the order was later modified to remove restrictions related to the son. This change came after Jason argued in court that he was not a threat to his child and claimed that Heather had made false statements in her original filing.
His grandfather, Dale Roley, said Wess worked in the tree service industry and hoped to become a firefighter. “As far as I know, he was actually pursuing it.” He moved to Idaho to be closer to his father, Jason Roley.
His family said, “We are devastated and shocked. We do not understand why this happened or how this came about. Wess had a kind heart and loved the outdoors. This is not the person we knew.”
Law enforcement statement:
“This was a calculated and deliberate act of violence. These firefighters walked into a deadly trap while trying to save lives.”
