14 DAY TRIAL // Former world boxing champion Vernon Forrest was shot and killed over the weekend in what was probably supposed to be an ordinary car hijacking. Forrest was attacked by a group of men as he was putting air in the tires of his car, tried to chase them down, and was shot a dozen times and probably killed on the spot, Reuters informs.
The 38-year-old boxer, who was often referred to in the boxing ring as The Viper, pulled his Ferrari at an Atlanta gas station when a group of men tried to rob him at gunpoint. Sources from inside the police say, off the record, that Forrest probably tried to chase down the assailants when he was shot and killed. Forrest’s girlfriend was inside the vehicle when the tragedy happened.
“Former world boxing champion Vernon Forrest was shot dead in Atlanta, the victim of an apparent robbery, city authorities and local media said on Sunday. Forrest, who was based in Atlanta, was a world champion in the welterweight and light middleweight divisions and also fought for the United States at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. ‘The cause of death is multiple gunshot wounds involving the torso and thigh, and the manner of death is homicide,’ the chief medical examiner of Georgia's Fulton county said in a statement.” Reuters writes.
A few hours ago, the police were able to make a portrait of the assailants based on the description offered by Forrest’s girlfriend, several reports in the US media say. Moreover, evidence seems to emerge that Forrest too had a gun at the time of the attack, as he took his own weapon out of the car when setting out to chase down the assailants. He may have even shot his weapon and exchanged gunfire with the would-be robbers, it is being said.
In the aftermath of the tragedy, people who have worked with Forrest or who have only met him a couple of times recall what a truly wonderful person he was. Vernon Forrest was not only a sportsman whose dedication helped him attain seemingly unattainable goals, he was also a loving friend and the kind of person who would have literally given the shirt off his back to someone in need. The many charities he was involved in are just a small proof of that.