Investigators have not said whether the earlier arrest of the suspect played a role in the fatal shooting.
WARM SPRINGS, GA — A Warm Springs police sergeant was shot and killed while sitting in his patrol car late Tuesday, just days after he arrested the man investigators later identified as the suspected gunman, authorities and court records show.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said Sgt. Chris Fisher was on duty at about 11:57 p.m. Sept. 1 after completing an unrelated traffic stop in the parking lot of the Meriwether Country Inn on Spring Street. Investigators said a black 2026 Chevrolet Silverado pulled alongside Fisher’s patrol vehicle and its driver opened fire. Fisher was struck and pronounced dead at the scene. The GBI identified the driver as 23-year-old Jimmy Lee Steverson of Warm Springs.
The shooting came four days after Fisher arrested Steverson on felony drug, weapons and obstruction charges, according to court and booking records obtained by Atlanta news organizations. Authorities have not established a motive for Fisher’s killing, and investigators have not said whether the earlier arrest or the men’s previous encounter was connected to the shooting.
Arrest warrants from the Aug. 28 encounter say Steverson swung a closed fist at Fisher and struck the officer in the face as Fisher tried to take him into custody. Another warrant said Steverson possessed 34.6 grams of marijuana and an AR-style rifle. Records showed he was charged with felony possession of marijuana, felony obstruction of a law enforcement officer and possession of a firearm or knife during the commission or attempted commission of a crime.
Steverson was taken to the Meriwether County jail after that arrest and released on a $10,000 bond about 12 hours later, according to records reported by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. A court date had been set for November. No public finding had been made on those charges before Steverson’s death.
After Fisher was killed, authorities issued a Blue Alert and began a multiagency search for Steverson. The GBI said he fled the motel parking lot after the shooting. Alerts describing the vehicle linked to the search were displayed on highways as local, state and federal agencies joined the effort across Georgia.
The search ended in Anderson County, South Carolina, at about 11:39 a.m. Wednesday. The Anderson County Sheriff’s Office stopped a vehicle in which Steverson was riding as a passenger, according to the GBI. When deputies approached, they found him suffering from what authorities described as an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was taken to a hospital in Anderson, where he was later pronounced dead. Authorities have not released additional details about how or when he was wounded.
Fisher, 36, had joined the Warm Springs Police Department in May and was promoted to sergeant in July, according to records from the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council. His law enforcement career in Georgia dated to 2010, and he had previously worked for the Meriwether, Heard and Fayette county sheriff’s offices. Residents and local business employees placed flowers and other tributes outside the police department Wednesday as the small Meriwether County community mourned his death.
Gov. Brian Kemp expressed condolences to Fisher’s family and fellow officers, calling the killing a reminder of the dangers officers face while serving their communities. Local residents who knew Fisher described him in interviews with Atlanta television stations as friendly and attentive to businesses in the community.
The GBI said its investigation remains active and ongoing. Fisher’s body was sent to the GBI Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy. The agency said that after its independent investigation is completed, the case file will be provided to the Coweta Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office. Investigators have not announced a motive for the shooting or said whether Fisher was specifically targeted because of Steverson’s arrest days earlier.
Author note: Last updated September 3, 2026.