Trooper Garland West Fisher, Jr.

Garland West Fisher, Jr.

Trooper Garland Fisher was shot and killed after being abducted during a traffic stop a wrong-way driver on I-85, south of Petersburg.

Unbeknownst to Trooper Fisher, the 32-year-old suspect was wanted for an earlier kidnapping. During the stop, the suspect was able to disarm Trooper Fisher and shot him. He then forced Trooper Fisher to drive towards Atlanta, Georgia. Trooper Fisher was allowed to radio his headquarters and inform them of what was happening.

Virginia State Police trailed the car into North Carolina where officers from the North Carolina Highway Patrol set up a roadblock approximately 10 miles north of Durham. As the car approached the roadblock, several shots were fired from the car. The officers stationed at the roadblock opened fire on the car, wounding the suspect. Officer Fisher was found dead in the back of the car.

The suspect was taken into custody and charged with murder and kidnapping. He was convicted and sentenced to 80 years in a North Carolina prison. He died in prison on January 26, 2022.

Trooper Fisher was a U.S. Army veteran of the Vietnam War and had served with the Virginia State Police for 12 years. He was survived by his wife and daughter. On April 29, 2015, a bridge over Interstate 85 in Dinwiddie County was named the "Trooper Garland West Fisher Jr. Memorial Bridge" in his honor.