DENVER (KDVR) — The 22-year-old charged with killing a rideshare driver on Monday night was supposed to have relinquished any firearms he owned earlier this month.
Michael Gawain Jackson was charged with four counts of domestic violence on Aug. 31 in the alleged kidnapping and assault of a 22-year-old woman. He was released on a personal recognizance bond, which means he didn’t have to post any money to get released from jail.
Under Colorado law, suspects charged in domestic violence cases are ordered to give up any firearms they own.
The Problem Solvers obtained a court document signed by Michael G. Jackson on Sept. 1, where he checked a box that stated: “I am acknowledging I do not have a firearm(s) or ammunition in my immediate possession or control or subject to my immediate possession or control.”
Yet just 18 days later, he would be arrested for what the Denver Police Department said was the random murder of a 51-year-old rideshare driver.
Rideshare driver shot, crashes with passenger in the car
The victim was shot around 9:30 p.m. as he was driving a female passenger along East 17th Avenue near North Williams Street. The driver died after crashing into a tree. The rideshare passenger suffered a minor injury related to the crash.
Another victim, described as a 31-year-old private security guard, was shot in the abdomen when he stopped to assist the crash victims. He remains in critical condition at a local hospital.
Police say Jackson threatened the injured security guard’s partner, who was still in the security company vehicle and stole the security vehicle.
A quick-thinking Denver Police officer obtained the GPS location of the stolen vehicle and found Jackson inside the car in the 1300 block of Broadway. After Jackson was arrested, police recovered two guns from the vehicle, including one handgun believed to have been stolen from the security guard after he was shot.
It turns out Jackson was set to be sentenced on Monday, Sept. 25, for assaulting two Denver Police officers earlier this year.
On Feb. 25, two officers responded to the 1400 block of North Logan Street after a woman called 911 to say Jackson had been drinking alcohol and had “blacked out” and was attempting to attack her. The woman told dispatchers that Jackson needed to go to detox and wanted officers to check on his well-being.
When two police officers arrived to check on Jackson’s welfare, Jackson punched a male officer in the left cheek and a female officer in the face, according to court documents.
After he was arrested, police discovered he had three extraditable warrants.
On Aug. 11, prosecutors dismissed two counts of felony assault against a peace officer and allowed Jackson to plead guilty to a lesser count of criminal attempt to commit assault in the second degree. He was supposed to receive probation, although that sentence may not happen in light of his new charges of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and felony menacing.
