Here is an eyewitness account of Ronnie Lee Gardner’s firing squad execution as observed by Daily Mail reporter Andrew Malone:
In the brightly-lit execution chamber, Gardner was sat in a wooden chair, surrounded by sandbags. His forehead and neck were strapped to the chair with bindings; his arms and legs were shackled. A metal tray beneath the seat would collect his blood.
At 12.15 am, the five-man firing squad took their places behind a wall 20 feet from Gardner. At that point, curtains were pulled back, allowing official witnesses to watch the death. Gardner stared at the witnesses, even though the one-way glass prevented him from seeing their faces.
He was asked if he had any last words. Ashen-faced, he replied: 'I do not. No.'
He then tensed his muscles as a hood was placed over his head and the [white cloth] target was attached over his heart with Velcro.
The firing squad leader walked down the line and tapped each marksman on the shoulder. Each gave the thumbs up, indicating they were ready. Only four of the rifles contained a live round: the fifth had a blank, ensuring no one would ever know which of the officers fired the lethal shots.
And then the countdown from five began: 'Five. Four. Three ...'
On two, the executioners opened fire. Three of the bullets struck home near the centre of the target. The fourth hit below and to the left of his heart. The fifth shot, of course, was a blank.
Because he was restrained, Gardner barely moved when the rounds struck. The only movement was his left fist, which clenched, opened and then clenched again in the seconds after the execution.
Covered-up by the prison-issue boiler suit, the fatal wounds were not visible. It was clear, however, that the life was draining out of the killer.
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