|
The execution by
lethal injection is set for 6 p.m. local time at the state's
death chamber in Huntsville. If the execution goes ahead, it
would be the 528th in Texas, the most of any state since the
U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976.
Lopez was convicted of striking Corpus Christi Police Lieutenant
Stuart Alexander at high speed with a sports utility vehicle as
he was fleeing from police. Alexander, 47, and on the force for
20 years, was laying spikes on the road to flatten tires when he
was sent flying about 175 feet (53 meters) in the air, according
to court documents.
Lopez, who police said rammed patrol cars and tried to run over
other officers in a pursuit that started when he fled a traffic
stop, was shot twice in the incident.
Lopez later said he tried to flee because he thought there was a
warrant out for his arrest for parole violations. He has said he
did not intend to kill the officer but felt that he deserved to
die for the crime.
He fought for years to speed up the date of his execution and
drop appeals for a stay of execution.
(Editing by Eric Walsh)
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
|
|
