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.

Mario Jordan, 33, suffered a fatal stab wound.

Credit: John Spink

icon to expand image

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.”

Mario Jordan, a father of three, was taken to the hospital, where medical personnel pronounced him dead, police said.

Credit: John Spink

icon to expand image

Credit: John Spink

Police said an investigation is underway.

— Please return to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for updates.

About the Authors

Keep Reading

The family of Ruthie Richardson filed a legal claim to hold Georgia's Department of Public Safety accountable for its part in Richardson's death. Richardson was killed when a trooper performed a PIT maneuver on a fleeing vehicle, causing it to lose control and crash into her yard. Lawsuits against the agency, which includes the state patrol, rarely make it to a court room. (Miguel Martinez /miguel.martinezjimenez@ajc.com)

Credit: Miguel Martinez

Featured

State senators Greg Dolezal, R-Cumming, and RaShaun Kemp, D-Atlanta, fist bump at the Senate at the Capitol in Atlanta on Crossover Day, Thursday, March 6, 2025. (Arvin Temkar / AJC)

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com