Malcolm E. Grass
Captain

Malcolm E. Grass

Felonious
End of Watch May 8, 1986
Age 43
Tour of Duty 14 yrs
The Vigil Panel 130 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Captain Malcolm Grass was shot and killed while assisting the FBI with an extortion case. The officers and agents confronted the suspect at a local gas station near Greenfield. As they attempted to arrest the man he produced a .357-caliber handgun and opened fire, striking Captain Grass in the head. The suspect was convicted of murder and sentenced to death. In 1992, the Indiana Supreme Court affirmed the conviction, but overturned his death sentence which resulted in a resentencing to 60 years in prison. The offender's application for executive clemency made in June 2007 was denied by the governor. Captain Grass had served with the Hancock County Sheriff's Office for 14 years.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and two sons.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-IN-C2734B85
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Captain Grass gave the Hancock County Sheriff's Office 14 years.
Thank you for your service to the Greenfield community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Captain Grass.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Type Other
Location Greenfield, Hancock County, IN
Platform Identity hcso.hancock.in.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch May 8, 1986
Tour of Duty 14 yrs
Age 43
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Handgun

Captain Malcolm E. Grass is one of 1 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.

In IN, 311 of 503 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 61.8% of this state's fallen. That is 61.8 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

Hancock County Sheriff's Department
1
of 1 officers
100% Felonious
IN — Statewide
311
of 503 officers
61.8% Felonious
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Malcolm E. Grass's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
1 (0%)
Accident
1 (0%)
Illness
1 (0%)
Cardiac
1 (0%)
Undetermined
1 (0%)
Suicide
1 (0%)

How Malcolm E. Grass Compares

Age at Death
43
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
14
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Malcolm E. Grass is highlighted in May.

Jan
1,392
Feb
1,295
Mar
1,373
Apr
1,516
May
1,504
Jun
1,442
Jul
1,587
Aug
1,517
Sep
1,491
Oct
1,371
Nov
1,447
Dec
1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Malcolm E. Grass was killed by handgun.

Handgun
3,684
Gun
3,592
Gun; Unknown type
1,492
Shotgun
1,109
Rifle
935
Officer's handgun
909

Others Who Wore This Badge

0 officers from Hancock County Sheriff's Department are honored on badge.nw.