Indiana executes man convicted of fatal cop shooting in 2000

On Tuesday, the State of Indiana carried out the execution of a 45-year-old man for the killing of a police officer in 2000, marking the 17th death sentence execution in the United States this year. Benjamin Donnie Ritchie was put to death through lethal injection, starting at midnight and declared dead at 12:46 a.m. Ritchie expressed his love for his family and friends in his final words and hoped for their peace. He had his last meal from Olive Garden, the Tour of Italy. Ritchie was convicted in 2002 for fatally shooting Beech Grove Police officer, William “Bill” Toney, during a police chase. Despite an 11th-hour request to stay the execution being denied by the Supreme Court on Monday night, the execution proceeded. Indiana’s Attorney General, Todd Rokita, stated that justice was served in honor of Officer Toney and emphasized the commitment to upholding the law and protecting communities, sending a message to those who harm law enforcement officers. Ritchie shot Toney during the police pursuit in September 2000 after stealing a van with two others. Toney died at the scene from the gunfire. This was Indiana’s first execution of the year and the first since Joseph Corcoran’s execution in December, the state’s first in 15 years. The United States has seen 17 executions this year, with another scheduled in Texas later on Tuesday.