On the evening of Friday, September 5, 2025, in the quiet area of Thunder Hill Road near Lapwai, Idaho, the life of Krystal Lee Medlin, a 45-year-old White/Caucasian woman from Lewiston, was tragically cut short. Gunfire erupted shortly after 5:24 p.m. near a residence, shattering the peace of the rural community. When authorities arrived at the scene, Krystal Lee Medlin was found deceased. A second individual, 65-year-old Kelvin M.
Jones, was also wounded in the incident and was transported for medical treatment.
The investigation into the shooting brought together multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Nez Perce Tribal Police, the Nez Perce County Sheriff's Office, Idaho State Police, and the FBI. Their collective efforts quickly led to a suspect being detained that same night. The suspect was identified as 30-year-old Christian M. Forslof, who lived near the scene of the shooting. Forslof admitted to shooting Medlin and Jones, but the circumstances leading up to the violence are a matter of conflicting accounts.
According to charging documents, both Medlin and Jones had entered a storage unit on Forslof's property before the shooting occurred. Forslof claimed that he acted in self-defense, perceiving a threat from the two individuals. However, the surviving victim, Kelvin M. Jones, reportedly described Forslof as the aggressor in the encounter. Following his arrest, Christian M. Forslof was arraigned on charges of second-degree murder for the death of Krystal Lee Medlin and attempted second-degree murder for the wounding of Kelvin M. Jones. He appeared before a Nez Perce County judge via video, where his bond was set at $1 million. Officials have stated that there is no ongoing threat to the public as the case proceeds through the legal system.
