Good news from Georgia. A cop killer is put down

This is a painful video to watch and for some reason I'm drawn to it. I've watched it dozens of times and it keeps telling me things. I try to not criticize a fallen officer, but I want to know what he did wrong and insure I don't do it myself. As Otto von Bismarck said, “Only a fool learns from his own mistakes. The wise man learns from the mistakes of others.” And in this profession we must learn from the experiences of others.

The circle is now complete. This animal, Andrew Howard Brannan, was put down like a rabid dog. I guess that is appropriate, but I would still rather him be hanged in a public square. But a needle does the job.

If you question my belief in capital punishment, watch this video.

Ga. man executed for killing of deputy during traffic stop

A man who fatally shot a sheriff's deputy who stopped him for speeding on a Georgia interstate was put to death Tuesday for the 1998 killing

JACKSON, Ga. — A man who fatally shot a sheriff's deputy who stopped him for speeding on a Georgia interstate was put to death Tuesday for the 1998 killing, which was captured on the patrol car's video camera.

Andrew Howard Brannan, 66, was pronounced dead at 8:33 p.m. Tuesday after a single-drug injection at the state prison in Jackson. He was convicted of the January 1998 shooting death of Kyle Dinkheller, a 22-year-old sheriff's deputy in Laurens County, central Georgia.

"I extend my condolences to the Dinkheller family, especially Kyle's parents and his wife and his two children," Brannan said in a statement moments before the injection was administered.

Lawyers for Brannan, a Vietnam veteran, had unsuccessfully argued to authorities to spare the inmate's life, saying the shooting was tied to mental illness directly traced to Brannan's military service.

Dinkheller had stopped Brannan for driving 98 mph and demanded he take his hands from his pockets during a traffic stop, officials said Brannan then began cursing, dancing in the street and saying "shoot me" before he rushed the deputy. After a scuffle, Brannan pulled a high-powered rifle from his car and shot Dinkheller at least nine times, authorities said.

The confrontation was captured by a video camera in Dinkheller's patrol car and a microphone he wore. Parts including the scuffle between the two happened off camera, according to court documents. But Dinkheller can be heard yelling orders at Brannan, who responded with expletives, authorities said. Brannan can also be seen crouching by his car and firing at the deputy as Dinkheller yelled at him to stop. Brannan walked toward the patrol car, still firing, exhausted one magazine, reloaded and continued firing, authorities said.

Police found Brannan the next day hiding under a camouflage tarp near his home. He had been shot in the stomach, apparently by Dinkheller...

...The Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles held a hearing Monday on a petition for clemency from Brannan's lawyers and denied the request to commute the sentence to life without parole.

"Is it right to execute a mentally-ill veteran whose sole incidence of violent behavior is traceable directly and inexorably to mental illness resulting from his combat service?" Brannan's lawyers had written in that clemency petition...

Mr. Brannon, I have several friends who served in Vietnam and many will tell you they question the wisdom of many of their actions. However, none of them will say it justifies murdering another man. So your explaination rings hollow with this vet. I'll will give you this, you were man enough to apologize to the family of the man your murdered. Hopefully that helps with the Judge you met last night.

To the Dinkheller family, I know this won't remove the pain of your loss, but at least we know he will never do this again. And hopefully your loved one rest easier now.

RIP Deputy Dinkheller. We Got The Watch.