Suspect who executed GA police officer found dead in car during traffic stop, sheriff says

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ANDERSON COUNTY, S.C. (FOX Carolina/Atlanta News First/Gray News) - A suspect wanted out of Georgia for killing a 36-year-old police officer and crossing state lines is dead, according to authorities in South Carolina.

Anderson County Sheriff Chad McBride said deputies were told around noon Wednesday to be on the lookout for 23-year-old Jimmy Lee Steverson, the man accused of killing Warm Springs police Officer Chris Fisher hours earlier in Meriwether County, Georgia.

“We had received a BOLO from Georgia about a potential suspect who apparently executed an officer out of Georgia,” McBride described.

Deputies spotted a vehicle that matched the suspect’s information from Georgia in the area of Interstate 85, McBride said. A traffic stop was initiated and Steverson was discovered in the backseat.

Officials said Steverson died after an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was taken to the hospital, and the coroner’s office confirmed his death. The driver of the vehicle was detained, officials said.

McBride credited the identification of the car to “good ole police work."

“Our deepest condolences go to the family, friends and fellow officers of Officer Chris Fisher, as well as the entire Warm Springs Police Department, as they navigate this tremendous loss,” McBride said.

Officials in Georgia initially issued a statewide Blue Alert for Steverson after he shot and killed Fisher, of the Warm Springs Police Department, just before midnight Tuesday during an unrelated traffic stop.

Fisher was in his patrol car at the Meriwether County Inn when the driver of a Chevrolet Silverado, later identified as Steverson, stopped beside him and fired multiple gunshots, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

According to warrants, Fisher recently arrested Steverson on Aug. 28 for felony charges, including obstruction, possession of a firearm during an attempted crime and marijuana possession.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said he was “deeply saddened” by news 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 said.

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