GBI: Suspect dead, located in South Carolina after Georgia officer fatally shot

Steverson was located by officials with the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office during a traffic stop shortly before 11:40 a.m. Wednesday, the GBI said. He was a passenger in the vehicle, and officials said he “was found with an injury from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.” Steverson was taken to a hospital and later died.

The search began Tuesday evening after Fisher was fatally shot in the parking lot of the Meriwether Country Inn on Spring Street in Warm Springs. The GBI said Fisher was wrapping up an unrelated traffic stop when a black Chevrolet Silverado stopped beside his patrol vehicle.

The driver, later identified as Steverson, “fired multiple shots into Officer Fisher’s patrol vehicle, hitting Officer Fisher,” according to the GBI. The state agency said Steverson then fled the parking lot.

Fisher was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities stated. His body was taken to the GBI Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy.

Just days before, on Friday, Fisher had arrested and transported Steverson to the Meriwether jail, according to a booking report obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Steverson was charged then with possession of marijuana, possession of a weapon during the commission of a crime and willful obstruction of law enforcement officers.

Steverson was released from the jail on a $10,000 bond about 12 hours later, and a court date was set for November, documents show.

Warm Springs is in Meriwether County, just over 70 miles southwest of Atlanta and about 75 miles west of Macon. The search for Steverson prompted the posting of signs alerting motorists to be on the lookout for his vehicle along metro Atlanta interstates.

“Steverson is considered armed and dangerous. If you see him or see any suspicious activity, please take immediate precautions and notify 911,” the GBI said in an earlier statement.

The GBI initially spelled Steverson’s first name as “Jimmie” but later updated the spelling.

According to records from the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council, Fisher had been with the Warm Springs department since May 18 and became a sergeant in July. He started his first law enforcement position in Georgia in 2010, and he previously worked for sheriff’s offices in Heard, Fayette and Meriwether counties.

In a post on X, Gov. Brian Kemp said he was “saddened” to learn of Fisher’s death.

“This is a tragic reminder of the dangers law enforcement face on a daily basis in service to their communities, and I ask that all Georgians lift up Fisher’s family and his fellow officers in prayer,” Kemp wrote.

Fisher is at least the fifth Georgia law enforcement officer to be killed this year in the line of duty, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page, which tracks law enforcement deaths. Gwinnett County police officer Pradeep Tamang was the first Georgia officer to be killed in the line of duty in 2026.

Fisher’s death came on the same day the Atlanta Police Department also lost one of its own. Recruit Moses Russ died after the motorcycle he was operating collided with an SUV on Tuesday morning, police said. The crash was still under investigation as of late that afternoon.

― Staff reporter Asia Simone Burns contributed to this story.