Utah firing squad executes Ronnie Lee Gardner

The US has carried out its first execution by firing squad in 14 years. Convicted murderer Ronnie Lee Gardner, who had spent 25 years on death row, was executed soon after midnight local time (0600 GMT), after a final appeal had been rejected. Gardner, 49, chose the firing squad before Utah banned the method in 2004. Critics say it is barbaric, harking back to the Wild West. Gardner was only the third man put to death in this way in the US since 1976. He was convicted in 1985 of fatally shooting a lawyer during an attempt to escape from a court where he was facing another murder charge dating from 1984.

• 2010-06-18T17:06:46+00:00
• Duration: 02:27

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