Death row, last stop for many US veterans

WASHINGTON: Executed this year in Georgia, Andrew Brannan is one of hundreds of US soldiers who serve, come home from battle with mental scars, commit murder and are put to death.

Some 300 military veterans are currently awaiting execution in the United States, making up an estimated 10 percent of death row inmates, according to a report out Tuesday.

Courts rarely take into account the psychiatric state of battle-scarred veterans, according to the Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC).

A video of Brannan´s behavior when he was stopped for speeding on January 12, 1998 gives some insight into his state of mind.

In the footage, taken by the dashboard camera of police officer Kyle Dinkheller, Brannan emerges from his pickup truck and starts dancing crazily, trying to provoke the officer and refusing to follow orders.

Leaving a vehicle when stopped by a police officer is forbidden in most US jurisdictions.

Once back in his car, Brannan grabs a weapon. Gunfire breaks out.

Dinkheller is hit nine times and dies on the spot. Brannan, with a wound in the abdomen, gets back in his pickup.

The video is shown at police training academies.

At the trial, Brannan´s lawyers tried unsuccessfully to secure lenient treatment based on extenuating circumstances. Decorated for his bravery, Brannan had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).