01-14-2015, 06:53 PM
VIETNAM COMBAT VET EXECUTED FOR MURDER OF SHERIFF'S DEPUTY -- GEORGIA
![[Image: 150113074709-andrew-brannan-large-169.jpg]](http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/150113074709-andrew-brannan-large-169.jpg)
^ 66-year-old Andrew Brannan was executed by the state of Georgia yesterday.
Brannan was a decorated Vietnam War veteran who'd been treated for PTSD when he was convicted for murdering 22-year-old sheriff's deputy Kyle Dinkheller in 1998.
Brannan's attorneys, to no avail, tried to stop the lethal injection with motions and appeals claiming that it was unconstitutional to kill someone with a combat-related mental illness and that the death penalty was intended to be reserved for the worst of the worst killers.
Before his execution, Brannan apologized to Dinkheller's family. Officer Dinkheller left behind a wife and two small children; his father saw nothing less than the death penalty as justice for his son and was pleased to see Brannan executed yesterday.
The shootout between Brannan, who was pulled over for doing over 100 mph, and Dinkheller was captured by dash cam. It's difficult to watch, and it's difficult to hear the officer screaming and gasping for air after he was already down and Brannan continued to shoot him. This video/audio likely helped prosecutors secure a death penalty sentence.
Disturbing
We see a lot of cases these days of officers firing on unarmed citizens. Shame that 15 years ago Officer Dinkheller waited too long to shoot (in my opinion) after having a gun pulled and pointed at him.
^ 66-year-old Andrew Brannan was executed by the state of Georgia yesterday.
Brannan was a decorated Vietnam War veteran who'd been treated for PTSD when he was convicted for murdering 22-year-old sheriff's deputy Kyle Dinkheller in 1998.
Brannan's attorneys, to no avail, tried to stop the lethal injection with motions and appeals claiming that it was unconstitutional to kill someone with a combat-related mental illness and that the death penalty was intended to be reserved for the worst of the worst killers.
Before his execution, Brannan apologized to Dinkheller's family. Officer Dinkheller left behind a wife and two small children; his father saw nothing less than the death penalty as justice for his son and was pleased to see Brannan executed yesterday.
The shootout between Brannan, who was pulled over for doing over 100 mph, and Dinkheller was captured by dash cam. It's difficult to watch, and it's difficult to hear the officer screaming and gasping for air after he was already down and Brannan continued to shoot him. This video/audio likely helped prosecutors secure a death penalty sentence.
Disturbing
We see a lot of cases these days of officers firing on unarmed citizens. Shame that 15 years ago Officer Dinkheller waited too long to shoot (in my opinion) after having a gun pulled and pointed at him.