In the spring of 2025, on April 17th, the life of 62-year-old Forrest Tab Grant, a male resident of Indianapolis, was tragically cut short in a burst of violence on the city's near southwest side. Around 1:30 in the afternoon, near a bus stop in the 2000 block of West Morris Street, an argument escalated into a fatal encounter. Grant was found with gunshot injuries and, despite being rushed to a nearby hospital in critical condition, he succumbed to his wounds.
The investigation into
Grant's death revealed a dispute over money as the catalyst for the deadly shooting. Witnesses reported that Grant was arguing with two men, later identified as Donnie Abney Jr., known as 'Big Donnie,' and his 22-year-old son, Donnie Abney III, or 'Little Donnie.' During the heated exchange, the younger Abney allegedly brandished a handgun. Though another person reportedly convinced him to put the weapon away, the argument continued. Accounts suggest Grant was holding a stick, seemingly for self-defense. According to court documents, after a tense back-and-forth, surveillance footage captured Grant walking away from the Abneys. It was then that Donnie Abney III allegedly shot him in the back.
Following the shooting, both Donnie Abney Jr. and his son fled the scene. The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department began an investigation, speaking with multiple witnesses whose statements were corroborated by public safety camera footage. Their focus soon turned to Donnie Abney III. Family members of the suspect came forward, telling police he had called them and made incriminating statements. He allegedly told one relative, 'Don't stress out. I didn't mean to. He was going to pull his gun first. I'm a hot head, and I shot him.' To another, he reportedly said he had gotten into a fight, both men had guns, and he shot the other man who unfortunately 'didn't make it.'
On May 1, 2025, detectives located Donnie Abney III near West Morris and South Harding streets. After a brief foot chase, he was taken into custody. The Marion County Prosecutor's Office formally charged Abney with murder and unlawful carrying of a handgun for his alleged role in Forrest Tab Grant's death. The decision on whether to file charges against his father, Donnie Abney Jr., was left to the prosecutor's office. Grant's son, Joseph, expressed his family's grief and bewilderment, stating, 'He knew what was right and wrong, and he always tried to do the right thing...no matter what happened, my father didn't deserve to be killed.'
