In the early morning hours of January 27, 2022, Don Wardlaw, a 46-year-old man from Stone Mountain, Georgia, was on his way to work when his life was tragically cut short in a senseless act of road rage. Wardlaw was driving his SUV on Rockbridge Road in Gwinnett County when he was followed by another vehicle. In an attempt to get away from the tailing driver, Wardlaw made a U-turn.
It was then that the other driver, later identified as 61-year-old Michael Charles Jackson of DeKalb County, opened fire, striking Wardlaw.
After being shot, Wardlaw's vehicle crashed into the front yard of a nearby home. The homeowner heard the crash around 4:30 a.m. and went outside to find Wardlaw inside his vehicle, covered in blood. Although the homeowner tried to help, Wardlaw succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators determined that his death was a result of the gunshot wound, not the crash itself.
The investigation into Don Wardlaw's death led police to Michael Charles Jackson. Jackson was arrested and charged with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. During his trial, Jackson chose to represent himself. The jury found him guilty on all charges. Following his conviction, a judge sentenced Michael Charles Jackson to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder of Don Wardlaw. This was not Jackson's first conviction for a violent crime; he had a previous second-degree murder conviction from 1989 in North Carolina that was also reportedly related to a road rage incident.
Don Wardlaw was a father to two children, a son and a daughter, who were deeply impacted by his sudden and violent death. His family remembered him as a hero to his son and a loving father to his 'daddy's girl.' The community rallied around the grieving family, offering support in the wake of their tragic loss.
