Benjamin Ritchie executed in Indiana for murder of officer in 2000

A man was executed Tuesday in Indiana for the 2000 murder of a police officer, according to prison officials.

Benjamin Ritchie, 45, died by lethal injection at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City after being convicted of killing Officer Bill Toney. It is the second execution in the Midwestern state since 2009.

Toney, a father of two, was shot to death after chasing a van that had been stolen by Ritchie and another man at a gas station in the town of Beech Grove.

Ritchie was pronounced dead at 05H46 GMT Tuesday, about 45 minutes after he received the lethal injection, the Indiana Department of Corrections said in a statement.

Second and third executions

Richie's was the first of three executions scheduled for this week in the country. A second execution is scheduled in Texas also this Tuesday. The case involves a man who pleaded guilty to killing a female store clerk by setting her on fire.

Matthew Johnson, 49, will likewise die by lethal injection in Texas state prison for the 2012 murder of Nancy Harris, a 76-year-old grandmother.

The other execution scheduled for this week will take place in the southern state of Tennessee.

Oscar Smith, 75, will die Thursday by lethal injection for the 1989 shooting and stabbing murders of his estranged wife, Judy Smith, and her two sons, Chad and Jason Burnett.

17 executions so far this year

There have been 17 executions in the U.S. this year: 13 by lethal injection, two by firing squad and two by nitrogen gas.

The death penalty has been abolished in 23 of the country's 50 states, while three others—California, Oregon and Pennsylvania—have moratoriums in place.

President Donald Trump is a supporter of capital punishment and called on his first day in office to expand its use "for the most vile crimes."