Man who fatally shot Dallas officer in 2007 faces execution

By JUAN A. LOZANO
Associated Press

HOUSTON (AP) — A man convicted of fatally shooting a Dallas police officer nearly 16 years ago is facing execution. Wesley Ruiz is scheduled to receive a lethal injection Wednesday evening at the state penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas. The 43-year-old was condemned for the 2007 killing of Dallas Police Senior Corporal Mark Nix. The officer was killed after a high speed chase that ended with Nix trying to break the passenger window of Ruiz’s vehicle. Authorities say Ruiz fired one shot that hit Nix, who later died. Ruiz’s attorneys have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to halt his execution over claims that jurors relied on “overtly racist” stereotypes in sentencing him to death. Ruiz is Hispanic.