In a tragic turn of events on a Friday night in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, Kolton Josshua Edwards, a 29-year-old male, lost his life. The incident, which unfolded on May 17, 2019, took place at a residence in the 700 block of SE Sooner Park Drive, where Edwards was fatally shot. The Bartlesville Police Department received a call about the shooting at approximately 10:16 p.m.
Following the incident, Edwards was transported by a private vehicle to Jane Phillips Medical Center before being transferred to a hospital in Tulsa, where he ultimately succumbed to his injuries.
The investigation into the shooting quickly identified a suspect: Shawn Saejin Lynch, who was 45 years old at the time and the roommate of Edwards. Authorities determined that the shooting occurred inside the home they shared. After the incident, Lynch fled the scene but later made contact with law enforcement and arranged to turn himself in. He was subsequently arrested on a complaint of first-degree murder and held at the Washington County Detention Center.
According to an affidavit, the fatal altercation stemmed from a dispute over money. Lynch stated that Edwards had loaned him money for groceries, but he had gone to a casino instead. Upon Lynch's return, an angry confrontation ensued, during which Edwards was reportedly holding a metal baseball bat. Lynch claimed that due to prior tensions with Edwards, he had retrieved a gun from his mother. He alleged that after Edwards went to his room and came back, he fired two shots, believing the first missed and the second struck Edwards in the chest.
In the course of their investigation, detectives obtained a search warrant for the residence and recovered several items of evidence. Two other individuals, 22-year-old Kyle Sanders and 35-year-old Jennifer Wilson, were also arrested on charges of obstructing an officer, as they were believed to have withheld information about the shooting from the police. Lynch later appeared in Washington County District Court, where his bond was set at $950,000. In September 2020, a competency review was ordered for Lynch at the request of his defense.
