This Was Purely Idiotic. Sorry.

Look, I'm sorry Vernon Forrest is dead. But sometimes you just have to shake your head.

And trust me when I say that I am not in any way claming Forrest "deserved it."

As Clint Eastwood said in his Oscar winning film “The Unforgiven” just before he shoots Gene Hackman- “Deserving ain’t got nothing to do with it”.

Here's the recap from the Atlanta Journal Constitution....

According to Atlanta Police Detective Lt. Keith Meadows, Forrest had stopped at a gas station on Whitehall Street around 11 p.m. Saturday night. With him was his 11-year-old godson, visiting from Texas.

As the boy went inside to use the bathroom and buy snacks, Forrest went to the rear of his Jaguar to add air to a low tire. It was then when a male suspect robbed him at gunpoint and fled.

Forrest, reportedly armed, chased after the man a short distance, to an area near McDaniel and Fulton streets. Shots were exchanged, police said. Giving up the chase, and turning to return to the gas station, Forrest was shot seven to eight times in the back, according to police.

Police say the shooter and a second suspect left in a red Monte Carlo.

“Vernon always was the type of guy who wasn’t going to let anybody take anything from him,” Watson said. “He would give you the shirt off his back, but if you tried to take something from him, he was going to fight you for it.”

Atlanta’s other boxing champion, Evander Holyfield, recalled a story from the 1992 Olympics. When a thief snatched the cap from atop his head, Forrest ran after him through the streets of Barcelona. “Chased him about a half a mile. Got his hat back. And got in a few punches too,” said Holyfield, chuckling at the memory from another place, another time.

REACT: Ha, ha. Good times, good times. Of course, that same "chase and punch" policy can get you killed. And - I hate to be a nag here - if you extend that policy to "chase and shoot" then you can end up killing innocent bystanders.

Ah. Details. Never mind.

I wonder if Forrest had managed to gun down his attacker a block from the station, while shooting him in the back? Would this be considered "self-defense?"

I am certainly not against gun ownership. But this ain't the Wild West anymore. And there's always a bigger tough guy with a longer rap sheet ready to pop your ass while jumping out of the shadows.