Georgia executes man for killing of deputy in traffic stop

FILE - This undated prison file photo provided by the Georgia Department of Corrections shows convicted murderer Andrew Brannan. Brannan, 66, is to be executed Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015, in Jackson, Ga., for the 1998 slaying of 22-year-old Laurens County sheriff's deputy Kyle Dinkheller during a traffic stop. Lawyers for Brannan, a Vietnam veteran, had unsuccessfully argued that Brannan’s life should be spared, saying the shooting was tied to mental illness directly traced to his military service. (AP Photo/Georgia Department of Corrections, File)

By Associated Press January 13, 2015 1 min read

JACKSON, Ga. (AP) – A man convicted of fatally shooting a sheriff’s deputy during a traffic stop has been executed in Georgia.

Authorities say 66-year-old Andrew Howard Brannan was pronounced dead at 8:33 p.m. Tuesday following a single-drug injection at the state prison in Jackson. Lawyers for the Vietnam veteran had argued unsuccessfully Brannan should be spared, saying the shooting was tied to mental illness stemming from his military service.

Brannan was convicted of the January 1998 slaying of 22-year-old sheriff’s deputy Kyle Dinkheller in Laurens County. The shooting was captured on a video camera in the patrol car.

Authorities said Dinkheller had stopped Brannan for driving 98 mph. Authorities said Brannan began cursing, dancing in the street and saying “shoot me” before he rushed the deputy, shooting him nine times.