Deputy Kyle Dinkheller dash cam video

[Pick187]

This is an older video that has been around but is one of the hardest videos to watch IMHO. I have included some info off of the internet and then have a link to the video at the bottom.

Laurens County Sheriff's Office
Georgia
End of Watch: Monday, January 12, 1998
Biographical Info
Age: 22
Tour of Duty: 4 years
Badge Number: 37
Incident Details
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: Monday, January 12, 1998
Weapon Used: Rifle; .30 caliber
Suspect Info: Sentenced to death
Deputy Kyle Dinkheller was shot and killed after pulling over a man on a rural road about 6 miles north of Dublin, Georgia. During the traffic stop he called in for backup. Before the backup arrived he was shot by the man with a rifle. He was able to return fire, striking the suspect in the stomach. The suspect was found during a search the next morning and taken into custody.

The entire incident was videotaped by a camera in Deputy Dinkheller's patrol car. On January 28, 2000, the suspect was found guilty of murder and was sentenced to death two days later.

Deputy Dinkheller is survived by his expectant wife and 22-month-old daughter. Deputy Dinkheller's son was born in early September 1998.

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Deputy Kyle Dinkheller, Laurens County, GA, was minutes from being off duty when he encountered a speeding pickup truck going 98 mph. The deputy was an ICE (Interstate Criminal Enforcement) officer that dealt with traffic infractions, speeding and the occasional drug bust. This was a low risk or unknown risk stop for speeding. He radioed in the speeding infraction, made a U-turn in the median and pursued the vehicle. The driver, Andrew Brannan, stopped his vehicle, exited and started a crazy, dancing jig in the middle of the road while swearing at the officer and shouting ‘I’m a god-damned Vietnam vet.” At first, he ignored Dinkheller’s commands to step towards the deputy, which always began with `Sir’. When he finally complied, he attacked the deputy and a scuffle ensued. The deputy implemented the use of his asp and ordered Brannan to `get back’. This procedure was repeated, but after what appeared to be a second scuffle, the suspect returned to his vehicle and retrieved a M-I Carbine from under the seat. The first shots were fired nearly 50 seconds after Brannan returned to his vehicle despite the deputy’s commands. Brannan ignored the repeated commands to put the gun down and Deputy Dinkheller apparently fired the first shot. Brannan, a Vietnam veteran, advanced firing on the deputy. Dinkheller returned fire, but succeeded only in breaking a window in the driver’s side of the pickup and wounding Brannan in the stomach. Using `suppressive fire’, Brannan systematically, methodically shot Dinkheller in the arms, legs, exposed areas that would not be covered had Dinkheller been wearing a bulletproof vest, slowly executing him. Reloading his weapon Brannan continued firing with the final death shot to Dinkheller’s right eye.


http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=969_1263249923

[Pick187]

The biggest thing I learned from this video is to not be afraid to get in my patrol car and back the heck out of Dodge. The suspect obviously is going back to his truck and retrieving something and he is not complying with commands. We so often don't think of disconnecting from the situation and often not taught that. This would have been a good time to back out of there and wait for back up. If the suspect drove off then you could have followed till the Calvary arrived or at minimum had enough on the dash cam for prosecution later.

[Pick187]

Time from the suspect opening the truck door to first shot is 50 seconds. From the officer acknowledging the gun to the first shot is just around 20 seconds. I believe that the officer not having a warrior mindset was devastating.

[justken2u]

It's actually much more complex than him not having a warrior mindset .. it's that in many ways his warrior mindset had been beaten out of him. He had been reprimanded on several occasions over being overly aggressive. In fact it is my understanding that he had been reprimanded that very morning for making the decision to stop and grab a soda without express permission. This is hearsay at this point as I don't have firsthand knowledge of this, but it is fairly well known that he had been reprimanded about the aggression issues. In this instance, I can imagine the dialogue bouncing around in his head over what will happen to him if he gets too rough with this crazy old man. Fear of legal, social and administrative repercussions over potential force options has killed more officers than often thought, and things are getting worse, not better out there. When an officer is second guessing his options when someone is trying to kill them, this is shameful. Brass will always show up for a funeral and speak well of a fallen officer, but more often than not these days fail to stand up for right-minded aggressive action might ruffle some community feathers. Career administrators are politicians. They have often forgotten the street. To the administrators, I quote my colleague Joe Robinson who has often said that if you are not actively out there putting handcuffs on people, then it is your job to wholeheartedly support those who are.

Dinkheller death was caused as much by the weight of his administration as it was by Brannen.