In what will be Indiana’s second execution in 15 years, 45-year-old Benjamin Ritchie is scheduled to die by lethal injection early Tuesday morning for the 2000 killing of Beech Grove Police Officer Bill Toney. Ritchie, convicted of fatally shooting Toney during a foot chase, has spent more than two decades on death row.

State officials confirmed that Ritchie’s execution will take place “before the hour of sunrise” at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City, unless a last-minute court ruling halts the process. Indiana resumed executions in December after a years-long pause due to a global shortage of lethal injection drugs.

Ahead of the previous execution of inmate Joseph Corcoran, prison authorities released images of the execution chamber—an austere space resembling a medical room with a gurney, fluorescent lighting, a floor drain, and an adjoining viewing area. Details about the procedure remain limited, with time being the only confirmed aspect.

Indiana is one of only two states that prohibit media access to executions, alongside Wyoming. A federal lawsuit filed by the Associated Press and other outlets is currently challenging the state’s media restrictions. This year, twelve executions are scheduled across eight states, including Ritchie’s in Indiana, and two more this week in Texas and Tennessee.

Ritchie was 20 years old when he and others stole a van in Beech Grove, near Indianapolis. During a foot pursuit, he shot Officer Toney four times. At the time, Ritchie was on probation for a 1998 burglary conviction.

Toney, 31, had served with the Beech Grove Police Department for two years. He was the first officer in the department’s history to be killed in the line of duty. A father of two and a neighbor known for helping others, Toney’s death devastated the community of 14,000 residents.

“Everyone of us involved, including Bill, had something stolen from them that they’ll never get back,” said Deputy Police Chief Tom Hurrle, who worked closely with Toney. During last week’s clemency hearing, Toney’s family urged that the execution proceed. “It’s time. We’re all tired,” said his widow, Dee Dee Horen. “It’s time for this chapter of my story, our story, to be closed. It’s time for us to remember Bill’s life, not his death.”

Ritchie’s defense team challenged the death sentence, arguing that his original attorneys failed to adequately present mitigating factors such as childhood lead exposure and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. His current lawyers say he suffers from “severe brain damage” caused by his mother’s drug and alcohol use during pregnancy and was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2005.

“He’s a different man,” said Steven Schutte, one of Ritchie’s attorneys, noting that Ritchie has developed coping mechanisms and taken steps toward rehabilitation.

Despite the Indiana Parole Board recommending against clemency, Republican Governor Mike Braun denied Ritchie’s request last week without offering an explanation. The board cited a dozen disciplinary issues during Ritchie’s incarceration, including threats of violence, as factors in their decision.

Reflecting on his actions, Ritchie expressed deep remorse during his clemency hearing. “I wish I could go back to the day in court, because that man’s wife deserved to say everything she needed to say to me, and that punk kid should have just kept his mouth shut and let her say whatever she needed to say,” he told the board. “That was her right. That was his family’s right.”

In his final days, Ritchie has received visits from friends and family. By law, five witnesses—including his attorneys and friends—will be allowed to attend the execution.

“I’ve ruined my life and other people’s lives, and I’m so sorry for that night,” Ritchie said. “You can’t take back what you did.”

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