Florida approaches record execution pace as DeSantis signs new death warrant for 1992 police officer murder

A death row inmate will die by lethal injection Dec. 1 for gunning down a North Miami Beach police officer during an armed bank robbery more than three decades ago.Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the death warrant Friday for 56-year-old Ricardo Gonzalez, setting the stage for what could be the state's 21st execution of the year at Florida State Prison.Deadly Bank Robbery AmbushThe fatal shooting unfolded Jan. 3, 1992, as North Miami Beach Police Officer Steven Bauer walked bank tellers toward drive-thru windows at Kislak National Bank.Gonzalez and three codefendants ambushed the group and robbed a cash box from a drive-thru teller.Fatal Gunshot to ChestDetectives stopped Gonzalez at his home a little over two weeks after the bank robbery.He gave both unrecorded and recorded confessions to detectives.Gonzalez claimed he aimed low and believed he only struck Bauer in the leg.Investigators later confirmed Gonzalez's gun delivered the deadly bullet that pierced the officer's chest.Court records s