WARM SPRINGS, Ga. — The man accused of shooting and killing a Warm Springs police sergeant had been arrested by that same officer just days earlier during an encounter that allegedly turned violent, according to arrest warrants obtained by Channel 2 Action News.
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The Georgia Bureau of Investigation identified 23-year-old Jimmy Lee Steverson as the suspect in the killing of Warm Springs police Sgt. Chris Fisher.
Newly obtained warrants show Fisher arrested Steverson last week on felony charges involving drugs, a firearm and obstruction.
One of the warrants, signed by Fisher, says Steverson swung a closed fist at Fisher while the officer was performing his official duties and struck him on the left side of his face as Fisher tried to take him into custody.
Another warrant says Steverson had 34.6 grams of marijuana and an AR-style rifle. He was charged with felony possession of marijuana, felony obstruction of an officer and possession of a firearm or knife during the commission or attempted commission of a crime.
Steverson later bonded out of jail.
Just days later, Steverson shot and killed Fisher, according to investigators.
According to the GBI, Fisher had completed an unrelated traffic stop shortly before midnight Tuesday and was sitting inside his patrol car in the parking lot of the Meriwether Country Inn.
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Investigators say Steverson pulled alongside Fisher’s patrol car in a 2026 Chevrolet Silverado and opened fire. Fisher died at the scene.
The shooting triggered a Blue Alert and a large-scale search for Steverson.
Warm Springs resident Melanie Walker told Channel 2 Action News she became frightened when she realized an armed suspect was on the loose near her home.
“I was scared because I knew the suspect was at-large,” Walker said. “I live really close to where the incident happened and I didn’t want him to be in my yard or hurt anybody else.”
Walker said learning Steverson had recently been released from jail raised questions for her.
“It’s tragic that he was able to bond out,” Walker said. “It makes you wonder why he was allowed to, but I understand that they have rights as well.”
The search for Steverson eventually stretched across state lines.
Nearly 12 hours after Fisher was killed, deputies in Anderson County, South Carolina, stopped a vehicle with Steverson riding as a passenger.
The GBI said when deputies encountered the vehicle, Steverson was suffering from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was transported to a hospital, where he later died.
Back in Warm Springs, a growing memorial of flowers and other tributes has formed outside the police department in Fisher’s honor.
Investigators have not said whether Steverson’s arrest days earlier or his encounter with Fisher played any role in the motive for the deadly shooting.
The GBI continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding Fisher’s killing.
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