Laurens County Sheriff's Office, Georgia
End of Watch: Monday, January 12, 1998
Age: 22
Tour of Duty: 4 years
Badge Number: 37
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: January 12, 1998
Weapon Used: Rifle; .30 caliber
Suspect Info: Executed in 2015
Deputy Kyle Dinkheller was shot and killed after pulling over a man on Whipple Cross Road near Dudley, Georgia.
He had initiated the traffic stop on I-16 after clocking a vehicle driving 98 mph. 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 subject in the stomach. The subject 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 subject was found guilty of murder and was sentenced to death two days later. He was put to death on January 13th, 2015.
Deputy Dinkheller had served with the Laurens County Sheriff's Office for four years. He is survived by his expectant wife and 22-month-old daughter. Deputy Dinkheller's son was born in early September 1998.