On a tragic spring afternoon in Power County, Idaho, the life of Brandon Lee Madden, a 40-year-old man from Pocatello, was cut short in a burst of violence that claimed multiple lives. The incident unfolded on Friday, April 3, 2026, on Tank Farm Road, a rural area about a mile north of the Simplot plant. Emergency dispatchers received a harrowing call around 2:38 p.m. reporting that three individuals had been shot.
When law enforcement and emergency responders arrived at the scene, they discovered a grim tableau: two people were deceased, and a third was injured. One of the deceased was Brandon Lee Madden.
The investigation quickly painted a picture of a chaotic and violent sequence of events. The gunman, later identified as 63-year-old Richard Todd Forrest of Pocatello, had allegedly opened fire on Madden and two others. Alongside Madden, 36-year-old Amanda Ann Christian, also of Pocatello, was killed in the initial attack. A third person who was with them was wounded but survived and was transported to a local hospital in stable condition. The violence did not end there, as Forrest fled the immediate scene and was later located by a police tactical team hiding near the Portneuf River.
As law enforcement attempted to negotiate with the suspect, more gunshots rang out. Forrest had fired his weapon again, striking an innocent bystander who was in a boat on the river. This second injured victim was airlifted to a nearby hospital for treatment and was later reported to have been discharged. Following this, authorities said Forrest made lethal threats toward the officers on the scene. After attempts at non-lethal resolution failed, and with the suspect brandishing a firearm, law enforcement responded with deadly force. Richard Todd Forrest was shot and killed by police at the scene, bringing the violent episode to a close. The incident, which left three people dead, including the suspect, and two others injured, was described by the Power County Sheriff as an unprecedented event for the community.
