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Suspect in Warm Springs police officer’s shooting death dies in South Carolina

Jimmy Steverson was injured with a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the time of his arrest. He later died.

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — A massive manhunt has concluded after the man accused of killing a police officer in Meriwether County on Wednesday morning was captured.

The search for 23-year-old Jimmy Steverson ended in South Carolina hours after the shooting in Warm Springs. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) said Steverson was injured from a self-inflicted gunshot wound when he was arrested. He was later taken to a hospital and died from his injuries.

In a statement, Gov. Brian Kemp confirmed the officer who was killed was Chris Fisher, a member of the Warm Springs Police Department.

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,” he said.

At around midnight, dozens of deputies, local officers and Georgia Bureau of GBI agents converged on the Meriwether Country Inn. The exact circumstances of the shooting are unclear.

Steverson had been arrested by Fisher last Friday on felony charges, including obstruction, possession of a firearm during an attempted crime and marijuana possession, according to warrants obtained by Atlanta News First.

RELATED: What we know about slain Warm Springs police officer

With a 2020 census population of 465, Warm Springs is best known for its natural, constant 88°F mineral springs and Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Little White House, the personal retreat where the 32nd president underwent polio therapy and ultimately passed away in 1945.

Originally founded as Bullochville in the 19th century as a spa town, Roosevelt renamed it Warm Springs and established the nonprofit Warm Springs Foundation in 1927, creating the world’s first dedicated polio rehabilitation center, which still operates today as a state rehabilitation institute.

This is a developing story. Stay with Atlanta News First as we learn more.

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