Donald Charles Warren III, a 52-year-old Black man from Fort Wayne, Indiana, was a father of four. His life was cut short in a violent confrontation on March 5, 2024.
On that Tuesday morning, around 11:30 a.m., officers with the Fort Wayne Police Department were dispatched to an Economy Inn in the 3300 block of Coliseum Boulevard. They arrived to find that an altercation between two men had ended in gunfire. Mr.
Warren was discovered suffering from multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene. The Allen County Coroner's Office later officially ruled his death a homicide, which marked the 10th for the county in 2024.
Police immediately took one man into custody at the motel. He was identified as 50-year-old Archie Lee Whitest Jr., who had called the police himself just minutes after the shooting. A witness staying in a room across from Mr. Warren’s told investigators they heard yelling and three gunshots.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Whitest told detectives that the argument began over drugs. He claimed he had received crack cocaine from Mr. Warren that he believed was "poison" and went to Mr. Warren's room to "remedy the issue." Whitest alleged that Mr. Warren opened the door holding a gun, which he was able to snatch away. He then shot Mr. Warren. As Mr. Warren retreated into the room, Whitest said he shot him again in the head from about eight feet away to make sure he was dead. Investigators found no other weapons in Mr. Warren's room.
Archie Lee Whitest was arrested and charged with murder. Following a trial, he was convicted of murder and a firearm enhancement. In March 2025, Allen Superior Court Judge Fran Gull sentenced Whitest, then 51, to 80 years in prison. The sentence was composed of 60 years for the murder and an additional 20 years for using a gun during the commission of the crime.
