Funeral procession to honor slain Warm Springs officer as Georgia flags fly at half-staff

Georgia is honoring fallen Warm Springs police Sgt. Christopher Fisher on Tuesday as his family, fellow officers and community members gather in Fayetteville to say goodbye.

Fisher's funeral will begin at 3 p.m. at Flat Creek Baptist Church, following a visitation from 1 to 3 p.m., according to his funeral arrangements.

After the service, a procession will travel from Flat Creek Trail along Highway 54, then turn onto Jeff Davis Road and continue to Mowell Funeral Home in Fayetteville, according to the Fayette County Sheriff's Office.

Gov. Brian Kemp ordered flags lowered to half-staff Tuesday at the Georgia State Capitol and in Meriwether, Fayette and Heard counties.

"Georgia continues to grieve the senseless killing of Sgt. Chris Fisher in Warm Springs last week," Kemp said in a statement. "As we hold his wife, children and fellow officers in our hearts and prayers," the flags will be lowered "in honor of his selfless service."

The United States Honor Flag is also being brought to Fayetteville to honor Fisher.

Fisher, 36, was shot and killed while on duty shortly before midnight Sept. 1. Authorities said he had just finished an unrelated traffic stop when a driver pulled alongside his patrol car and fired several shots.

The suspected gunman, Jimmy Lee Steverson, was later found with what authorities described as a self-inflicted gunshot wound during a traffic stop on Interstate 85 in South Carolina. He died a short time later.

Warm Springs interim Police Chief Matthew Mayfield said Fisher had arrested Steverson on five felony charges Aug. 27. Steverson was released on bond later that day.

Fisher served in the U.S. Army as a transportation specialist before working in law enforcement in Heard, Fayette and Meriwether counties, according to his obituary. He joined the Warm Springs Police Department in May and was promoted to sergeant in July.

Mayfield remembered Fisher as a dedicated officer who cared deeply about the community he served.

"He gave it his all for his entire shift, and he believed in the ability to make a difference," Mayfield said. "He did this job for the right reasons."

Fisher is survived by his wife and two children.