A man accused of shooting and killing a Georgia police officer was found suffering from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound after South Carolina deputies stopped a vehicle carrying him hours later. The suspect, identified as 23-year-old Jimmy Lee Steverson, was taken to a hospital and later died, according to reporting from FOX Carolina and Atlanta News First.
The shooting killed 36-year-old Warm Springs Police Officer Chris Fisher of the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office in Georgia shortly before midnight on September 1 in Meriwether County, Georgia. According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Fisher was sitting inside his patrol vehicle at the Meriwether County Inn when a black 2026 Chevrolet Silverado pulled alongside him, and its driver fired multiple rounds into the patrol car.
Authorities subsequently identified Steverson as the driver of the Silverado and issued a statewide Blue Alert as agencies searched for him. Atlanta News First reports that warrants show Fisher had arrested Steverson only days earlier, on August 28, on felony charges that included obstruction, possession of a firearm during an attempted crime, and marijuana possession.
The search ultimately crossed state lines into South Carolina, where Anderson County Sheriff Chad McBride told FOX Carolina that his deputies received a BOLO for Steverson around noon on September 2. Deputies began watching Interstate 85 and eventually spotted a vehicle matching information provided by Georgia authorities.
Deputies Find Steverson in the Backseat
The Fayette County Sheriff’s Office posted a memorial on Facebook that details Sergeant Fisher’s life and the impact he had on the department and his community.
According to FOX Carolina, Anderson County deputies initiated a traffic stop near Exit 27 and discovered Steverson in the vehicle’s backseat. McBride described the alert from Georgia as being for a suspect who had “apparently executed an officer” and credited deputies locating the vehicle to “good ole police work.”
Steverson had suffered what authorities described as an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound by the time deputies found him. FOX Carolina reported that he was transported to a hospital and that the coroner’s office subsequently confirmed his death, while the vehicle’s driver was detained by authorities.
Atlanta News First reported that Steverson wasn’t the only other person inside the vehicle, although it was unclear at the time whether the other occupant would face charges. The circumstances surrounding Steverson’s travel from Georgia to South Carolina and the involvement, if any, of the other person were not detailed in the reports.
Additional information was also not available via the Georgia Bureau of Investigations, as reported by other outlets.
Officer Chris Fisher Had Arrested Steverson Days Earlier
The encounter that killed Fisher was not the first time the officer and Steverson had crossed paths. According to warrants obtained by Atlanta News First, Fisher arrested Steverson on August 28, just four days before the officer was killed.
The GBI says the fatal encounter began when Steverson’s Chevrolet Silverado stopped alongside Fisher’s patrol car at the Meriwether Country Inn before multiple shots were fired into it. Fisher’s death prompted the Blue Alert and multi-agency search that ultimately reached South Carolina later that day.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said he was “deeply saddened” by Fisher’s death and described it as a reminder of the dangers law enforcement officers encounter while serving their communities. Anderson County Sheriff Chad McBride similarly offered condolences to Fisher’s family, friends, fellow officers, and the Warm Springs Police Department following the end of the search.