In the quiet community of Foley, Alabama, Forrest Blake Self, a 34-year-old man known for his generous spirit and love for the outdoors, found his life tragically cut short on the evening of June 5, 2026. A devoted father to his two sons, Johnathan and Gracen, Self was remembered by his family as a man who brought joy and laughter to those around him. Born and raised in Guntersville, he had a deep appreciation for nature, often spending his time hunting, fishing, and camping.
He later moved to Baldwin County to be closer to the ocean, where he continued to build a life centered around his family and his passions. His kindness was a hallmark of his character, a man who, as his family described, would give the shirt off his back to a stranger.
The events that led to Self's untimely death unfolded at a mobile home park on Doc McDuffie Road, where he resided. On that fateful Friday, deputies from the Baldwin County Sheriff's Office responded to a 911 call reporting a shooting at approximately 5:30 p.m. Upon their arrival, they discovered Forrest Self with multiple gunshot wounds. Despite immediate life-saving efforts by the deputies, Self succumbed to his injuries at the scene. The tranquility of the neighborhood was shattered, leaving behind a community in shock and a family grappling with an immeasurable loss.
At the scene, deputies detained a suspect, later identified as 37-year-old Patrick Beasley, a neighbor of Self. Beasley was subsequently arrested and charged with murder. The investigation that followed painted a conflicting picture of the moments leading up to the shooting. According to prosecutors, the altercation began when Beasley went to Self's mobile home to assist Self's girlfriend with packing her car. An argument erupted between the two men, which escalated to the point where Beasley allegedly introduced a firearm and shot Self three times in the chest and upper abdomen. Beasley’s defense, however, presented a starkly different narrative. His attorney claimed that Beasley and his wife were on their front porch when they heard a woman screaming from a nearby residence and went to intervene. The defense alleged that Self then made serious threats against Beasley and his family, and in a moment of perceived danger, lunged at Beasley, prompting Beasley to fire in self-defense. In the initial court proceedings, a judge set Patrick Beasley's bond at $150,000, with the condition of house arrest should he be released. The case presented a complex web of conflicting accounts, leaving the definitive circumstances of Forrest Self's death to be determined through the legal process that would follow, the ultimate outcome of which has not been made publicly available.
