DINWIDDIE COUNTY, Va -- Virginia State Trooper Garland "GW" Fisher, Jr. was killed in the line of duty four decades ago. This week, his friends and family helped honor GW's memory during a bridge dedication. Fisher, a 12-year Virginia State Police veteran, was finishing his shift in November 1976 when he stopped a car going the wrong way on Interstate 85. During the stop, GW was shot, abducted at gunpoint and forced to drive his patrol car out of state. He was later found murdered on the side of Interstate 85 in North Carolina.
On Tuesday, a highway overpass on Interstate 85 in Dinwiddie was designated the Trooper Garland W. Fisher Jr. Memorial Bridge. The bridge is near Route 709. Loved ones said the honor was long overdue.
"He was a fantastic guy, believe me. He was a lot of fun to be around," former deputy Claiborne Fisher said. "We always kid and joke with one another because everyone thought we were kin, which was a good thing. He was a very fine man."
The person who shot GW Fisher was later later arrested and charged. Fisher's death helped spark change within the Virginia State Police and lead to improved communication between troopers on the road and dispatch.
Fisher's time with the Virginia State Police was interrupted when he served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. Fisher returned to the Virginia State Police once his time in the Army ended.
