It’s reported that a former two-division champion, the first boxer to defeat Shane Mosley, the 38-year-old Vernon Forrest was shot to death in Atlanta in attempted robbery.
According to www.eds-systems.com
Fulton County medical examiner Michele Stauffenberg confirmed that the case was a homicide and that the autopsy showed Forrest died from “multiple gunshot wounds involving the torso and thigh.” Keyes said a police report on the shooting was not immediately available.
Charles Watson, the boxer’s manager, said police and witnesses told him that Forrest had stopped at a gas station to put air in one of his car tires when a man approached asking for money.
“Somehow, Vernon had his wallet out and the guy snatched his wallet and started running,” Watson said. “Vernon pursued after him. The guy turned the corner and Vernon didn’t see him. He turned around to go back to the car. That’s when he started firing.”
Forrest, a native of Augusta, Ga., who lived in Atlanta, was a member of the 1992 Olympic team along with Oscar De La Hoya. The popular fighter later won welterweight and junior-middleweight titles and compiled a professional record of 41-3 with 29 knockouts.
Longtime publicist Kelly Swanson said Forrest was not married and had one son, Vernon Jr.
This is the third high-profile death of a boxing champion in the last month.
Hall of Famer Alexis Arguello, the mayor of Managua, Nicaragua, was found dead at his home on July 1 in an apparent suicide.
Two weeks ago, popular brawler Arturo Gatti was found dead in a condominium at a resort in Brazil. Gatti’s wife remains the prime suspect in that case.