A San Antonio man convicted of killing a police officer with the officer's own gun more than 14 years ago has been executed.
Manuel Garza Jr received a lethal injection yesterday evening for the slaying of San Antonio Police Officer John "Rocky" Riojas. The officer was part of a team targeting property crimes at apartment complexes in February 2001 when he stopped Garza.
Garza ran, Riojas chased him down and then was fatally shot during a struggle.
Garza, now 35, was 20 at the time but had a long criminal record. No last-day appeals had been filed to delay his execution.
The execution is the sixth this year in Texas, which carries out the death penalty more than any other state. Two more are set for later this month.
