Former Boxing Champion Shot To Death

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Vernon loved to work with kids and often mentored a boxing team sponsored by local police.

Charmon Sinkfield, the alleged shooter, was the third suspect arrested in connection with the robbery and death of former boxing champion Vernon Forrest.

Vernon Forrest, a former welterweight boxing champion and the first man to defeat "Sugar" Shane Mosley, was shot and killed after an attempted robbery at a southwest Atlanta gas station on July 25, 2009.

With the help of various surveillance videos, Atlanta police investigators were able to put together the events that led up to the death of the boxing champion. 

According to Atlanta Police investigators, Forrest was with his girlfriend's 11-year-old son when they stopped at a gas station near Turner Field around 11 p.m. on a Saturday night.

As the child was buying snacks and using the restroom inside the gas station,  the 38-year-old boxer was putting air into the rear tires of his Jaguar.

Video surveillance shows the suspects' 4-door red sedan pulling into the gas station on McDaniel Steet.

Lt. Keith Meadows, commander of the Atlanta Police Department's homicide unit, described the car as a red Pontiac, possibly a G-6, Grand Am, or Grand Prix, which was parked at one of the pumps with four men inside the vehicle. 

The video shows one man getting out of the passenger side of the sedan.

Moments after, his accomplice approached Forrest and robbed him at gunpoint, taking his world championship ring and Rolex watch.

But it was not over yet.

Investigators say Forrest took out his own gun then chased his robber south on McDaniel Street for several blocks.

Forrest lost the chase after the robber hid in an apartment complex, cops say. With his gun in hand, surveillance videos show the robber waiting inside for his accomplices to pick him up in the red Pontiac when the coast was clear. 

Meanwhile, Forrest crosses Fulton Street and unknowingly runs into another armed man from the same group. When Forrest turns away, shots are suddenly fired. 

Alarmed by the loud gunshots, nearby residents called the police.

When cops arrived to the scene, they found Forrest lying face down in the middle of the street -- already dead. Forrest was shot seven times in the back.

A Lover And A Fighter

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Boxing champ Vernon Forrest was killed when he chased down a man who tried to rob him.

The Georgia native, who lived in Atlanta, was a member of the 1992 USA Olympic team, former IBF welterweight champion and three-time WBC middleweight champion. He had a 41-3 career record with 29 knockouts.

At the age of 31, Forrest got his famed breakthrough with his victory against "Sugar" Shane Mosley.  Known for his quickness, and his nickname "Viper," Forrest was named Ring Magazine's fighter of the year in 2002.

The tough boxer was a man of good deeds outside the ring. He was a philanthropist fighting to help others. 

Much of his time was dedicated to charity work such as launching Destiny's Child, his business that housed mentally challenged young adults.

Forrest often visited kids who participated in a police-sponsored boxing team for inner city children and also donated money to the program. 

"He was no stranger to the gym," college friend Mike Vail said, who coaches the kid's boxing team. "He would come by alot and see how the kids were doing. At Christmas he bought the entire gym bikes and gave them out himself with words of encouragement.

"There happened to be a few leftover, so he loaded them in his vehicle...and found some needy kids to give them to."

Forrest was the only active fighter to win the Boxing Writer's Good Guy Award.

Boxing World Loses Respected Champion

"He was one of the most gracious and charitable fighters in boxing and he will be missed by the entire boxing community and all of his friends at HBO," HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg told the Associated Press.

His promoter, Gary Shaw, said they had tentative plans to get him into the ring with Sergio Martinez for a title fight sometime in October. 

Last week, his trainer told the AP that they were planning to return to the gym Aug. 1.

Forrest left behind his 12-year-old son, Vernon Jr.

Wanted For:

• Murder , Atlanta , GA ; Jul 25, 2009

(Information valid as of September 23, 2009)

Associated Persons:

Demario Ware
Fugitive
»More information
Jquante Crews
Fugitive
»More information

Television Airings:

• »August 8, 2009
• »August 1, 2009

Third Suspect Arrested in Vernon Forrest's Murder

Sinkfield, the alleged shooter, has been charged with murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and Ppssession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
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The suspected triggerman in the robbery and murder of boxing champion Vernon Forrest was arrested.

Charmon Sinkfield, 30, was arrested Aug. 12, 2009, around 9 p.m. on Interstate-20, near Hamilton E. Holmes Dr., west of Atlanta.  He was charged with murder, aggravated assault, armed robbery, and possession of firearm by a convicted felon.

Sinkfield is the third man to be charged in connection with the boxer's murder. Witnesses and tips led investigators to a southwest Atlanta home, where the Southeast Regional Task Force staked out the location and waited for Sinkfield.

Twelve unmarked law enforcement cars followed a black sedan from Nathan St. to I-20.  While on the highway, cops had to force the suspect's vehicle to stop. According to police, Sinkfield attempted to disguise his identity by wearing a wig, but he was identified by Marshals and taken into custody. 

Sinkfield, the alleged shooter, is the last suspect who investigators were seeking in the slaying of boxing champion Vernon Forrest that took place on July 25, 2009.

Two Other Suspects In Custody

Twenty-year-old DeMario Ware was the first suspect arrested, who turned himself in on Aug. 3, 2009, after being caught on surveillance videos, cops said.

Police have alleged that Ware's role in the plot was to rob Vernon at gunpoint, and in the caper, got away with Forrest's Rolex watch and championship ring.

Vernon retrieved a gun from his car and chased the thief, cops have said. Forrest fired at him, but another man shot Vernon several times from behind.

The second arrested suspect, Jquante Crews, 25, was the suspected driver of the getaway car of the red Pontiac seen on the gas station surveillance video, where Forrest was robbed.

Ware was arrested at his brother's house in College Park, Ga. around 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 5, 2009.

Both suspects have been charged with felony murder, armed robbery, and aggravated assault.