A man convicted of fatally shooting a police officer with his own service weapon during a traffic stop is set to be executed in Florida. Billy Leon Kearse is scheduled to receive a three-drug injection starting at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Florida State Prison near Starke. Kearse was initially sentenced to death in 1991 after being convicted of first-degree murder and robbery with a firearm. The Florida Supreme Court ordered a new sentencing, and he was resentenced in 1997. This is planned as Florida’s third execution scheduled for 2026, following a record 19 executions last year. The U.S. Supreme Court rejected Kearse's final appeals without comment Tuesday afternoon.
