Florida Executes Man Convicted of Killing Cop in 1978
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}This undated photo provided by the Florida Department of Corrections shows Manuel Valle, 61, convicted of killing Coral Gables police officer Louis Pena 33 years ago. (AP/Florida Dept. of Corrections)
A Florida man convicted of killing a police officer during a traffic stop 33 years ago has been executed at the Florida State Prison.
The governor's office said Manuel Valle was pronounced dead at 7:14 p.m. Wednesday. He was the first Florida prisoner to be executed with a new mix of lethal drugs.
Valle fatally shot Coral Gables officer Louis Pena in 1978. He also shot fellow officer Gary Spell, who was saved by his bulletproof vest.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Florida's execution is the latest of a series in the South, including the Sept 21 execution of Troy Davis in Georgia for a policeman's shooting and the Texas execution that day of a white supremacist for a black man's dragging death. Alabama executed a man last week for a 1994 shooting death.