Normally fast asleep at 3 a.m., Stacy Wright said she immediately felt something was wrong Thursday when her phone started to ring.
“That’ll be the first thing that goes through your mind that someone got hurt or killed,” she told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I just knew that something happened.”
When Wright picked up, her fears were realized. Her son-in-law had been stabbed to death by an acquaintance of his in downtown Atlanta just a few hours earlier.
Atlanta police responded around 12:45 a.m. to the 200 block of Ted Turner Drive. When officers arrived, they found 33-year-old Mario Jordan suffering from a stab wound to the chest. Jordan, a father of three, was taken to the hospital, where medical personnel pronounced him dead, police said.
He had just celebrated his birthday last week, Wright said, adding that one of his children is a 1-year-old.
Credit: John Spink
Credit: John Spink
“His kids loved him to death, even my older grandkids, his step kids,” Wright said. “So they’re gonna miss him when they find out ... the whole family gonna need therapy.”
A 2011 white Dodge Journey with its tires slashed could be seen in photos from the scene, which is near Brotherton Street and just north of I-20. According to Channel 2 Action News, Jordan was found stabbed inside the vehicle and he and another man had gotten into an argument at a nearby gas station. A police incident report listed Jordan as the driver of the vehicle, which was owned by a family member.
According to the report, Darrell Burnette, an acquaintance of Jordan, was arrested on the day of the killing. The Powder Springs resident was booked into the Fulton County Jail on charges of murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm or knife during the commission of or attempt to commit certain felonies, online records show.
Wright wasn’t sure if the killing was over money, but stated, “It wasn’t enough to take somebody’s life regardless.”
“He was just a kind person, respectful,” she added. “I don’t know what happened, but I don’t think he deserved it.”
Credit: John Spink
Credit: John Spink
Police said an investigation is underway.
— Please return to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for updates.
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