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Champion Boxer Fatally Shot in Atlanta by Killer Who "Felt Rage" and "Disrespect"
Vernon Forrest, 38, was killed after three suspects tried to rob him. The shooter "believed that it was wrong for Vernon Forrest to challenge the robbery," a former homicide detective said.
On July 25, 2009, the body of a young Black man was found at around 11 p.m. near an apartment complex in the Atlanta neighborhood of Mechanicsville.
At the scene, where the victim was pronounced dead by EMTs, Keith Meadows, a former commander with the Atlanta Police Department, recognized the man who’d been shot.
“It was the well-known boxer Vernon Forrest,” Meadows said in the "Death Outside the Ring" episode of The Real Murders of Atlanta, airing Saturday at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Oxygen. “My heart kind of sunk because I’m a fan.”
Who was Vernon Forrest?
Born in Augusta, Georgia, Forrest came from humble beginnings. “He was a kid who had found a love for boxing,” Atlanta television journalist Shaunya Chavis told The Real Murders of Atlanta.
Forrest represented the U.S. at the Olympics in 1992. After the Games, he turned professional fighter and became a four-time world champion.
During his storied career between 1992 and 2008, “he achieved great financial success,” said Clint Rucker, a former executive assistant district attorney in Fulton County, Georgia.
“He was a great boxer, but he was an even greater human being,” Chavis said. “He cared about his community.”
Forrest founded the nonprofit Destiny’s Child, which provided group residences for people with mental and emotional disabilities.
Vernon Forrest shot after robbery
At age 38, Forrest’s life ended in a hail of bullets. Eight 40-caliber shell casings were found near his body. Entry wounds showed that “he had his back turned to the shooter,” Rucker told The Real Murders of Atlanta.
A 45-caliber handgun was also recovered. Police determined that Forrest had a permit to carry the firearm. “There was a possibility that Mr. Forrest actually fired at his assailant,” said Meadows.
Investigators at the scene quickly learned that before the shooting, Forrest had been held up at a nearby gas station.
At the service station, roughly 300 yards from where his body was found, Forrest’s Jaguar was parked at by an air pump, according to Brett Zimbrick, a now-retired Atlanta Police Department homicide detective.
Forrest’s 11-year-old godson Ernest was with the boxer when he pulled in to inflate his tires. After going into the store to get snacks, Ernest returned and saw a man with a gun confronting Forrest. The man ran, Forrest chased him and shots rang out. The station attendant called for help.
Searching for a motive in Vernon Forrest's murder
“We didn’t know if Vernon Forrest had been targeted specifically because of who he was or because... of his expensive car,” said Zimbrick.
He added that a single 45-caliber shell casing was found in the area. It confirmed investigators’ theory that Forrest fired at his attacker. No blood evidence was found at the scene.
Police sought to determine a motive. Chavis explained they had to figure out: “Was this a ‘wrong place, wrong time? Was this some sort of hit? Was it a failed carjacking?”
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Meadows and fellow law enforcement canvassed the area for eyewitnesses for leads. They found a few neighborhood onlookers who were willing to cooperate.
“Based on the statements of the witnesses, we believed that there were at least three people involved in the actual crime,” said Zimbrick.
The alleged assailants included the robber, the driver of a red car observed at the scene, and the shooter. “We obtained video surveillance from the apartment complex and the gas station,” added Zimbrick.
Investigators learned that before the shooting, Forrest was wearing valuable jewelry.
“Vernon had on a gold ring that said 'four-time champion' and a gold-studded Rolex,” Marcus Garner, a former Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter, told The Real Murders of Atlanta. These items were not recovered at the crime scene.
Surveillance footage leads to break
As police searched for clues and a motive, they felt the heat to solve the brutal murder of the famous fighter, according to The Real Murders of Atlanta.
Detectives prioritized interviewing Forrest’s inner circle and identifying the red sedan at the scene.
In the end, these interviews only served to confirm that Forrest was a decent, community-minded man, according to detectives. “This investigation was going nowhere,” Rucker said.
But 72 hours into the case, investigators caught a break thanks to surveillance footage. Gas station video showed figures near the air compressor, but images were grainy.
Footage from the apartment complex showed a clear image of the suspected gas station robber’s face. “When we see him look up at the camera, we’re like, ‘Man, that was a great shot,’” Meadows said.
The Atlanta Police Department enlisted the media to share the image in hopes of figuring out the suspect’s identity. The media blast led to a flurry of calls.
Police received hundreds of tips about the identity of the man in the surveillance image, said Rucker. One tipster broke the case wide open by coming to Atlanta police with pictures of the man from the media blast on their own phone.
Three suspects emerge in Vernon Forrest murder
The information led investigators to identify the suspected robber as 20-year-old DeMario Ware, who’d had previous scrapes with the law. His offenses were not violent.
Police spoke with Mare’s grandmother, who confirmed his involvement in the crime, according to The Real Murders of Atlanta. Ware spoke to police with his attorney at his side.
Ware said that he and two men were at the gas station on their way to a club, according to Zimbrick. They saw the Jaguar pull in and decided to put a robbery plan into action.
“DeMario indicates to law enforcement that he took off running in the direction of the apartment complex,” said Rucker. “Vernon then took off pursuing him.”
In a taped police interview, Ware recalled hearing gunshots as the crime unfolded. Police faced a hurdle when Ware told them that he only knew his two alleged accomplices’ nicknames — Quante, the getaway driver, and Twin, the shooter.
Police determined they were searching for J’Quante Crews, 25, who was apprehended and refused to speak with authorities. Twin, the suspected triggerman, was identified as Charmon Sinkfield, 30, the Atlanta Journal-Constition reported in 2009.
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Arrests made in Vernon Forrest's murder
Three weeks into the investigation, all three suspects were in police custody. While in lockup, Sinkfield shed light on why Forrest was shot so many times, according to Zimbrick.
“He believed that it was wrong for Vernon Forrest to challenge the robbery and for leaving Ernest in the parking lot alone,” the former homicide detective said.
When Sinkfield said this to Forrest, Zimbrick added, the boxer turned and walked away. The alleged shooter took that as “disrespect,” said Zimbrick. “Sinkfield felt rage and fired the gun.”
Forrest’s ring and watch were not recovered in the investigation. In accordance with Georgia law, Ware, Crews and Sinkfield were charged with murder.
They individually went to trial. In 2011, Ware and Crews were found guilty and sentenced to life in prison.
In 2016, Sinkfield was convicted and sentenced to two life terms without the possibility of parole, plus 10 years in prison.
To learn more about the “Death Outside the Ring” episode, watch The Real Murders of Atlanta, airing Saturdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Oxygen.
