SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — The brother of the last man executed by firing squad in the United States is joining community advocates to protest against the construction companies contracted to design and build Idaho’s new firing squad execution chamber.
Ronnie Lee Gardner was the last person executed by firing squad in the United States, and he was executed in 2010 in Utah. His brother, Randy Gardner, has since been openly against the death penalty, especially the firing squad.
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Randy Gardner partners with Worth Rises, Death Penalty Action, faith leaders, and community advocates to combat Okland Construction and Cator Ruma & Associates on the construction of a firing squad execution chamber in Idaho. In Salt Lake City Monday morning, delegations will deliver nearly 2,000 petition signatures along with a letter signed by over 30 faith leaders to Okland Construction. Tuesday morning, March 31, the same will be delivered to Cator Ruma & Associates in Boise. The protestors are demanding the firms withdraw from the project.
“My brother was shot to death by a firing squad in Utah in 2010. The autopsy shows that all four of the firing squad members deliberately aimed off-center,” said Randy Gardner. “I am here to say that there is no good way to kill someone, and more importantly, an execution like that is going to haunt everyone involved — and that includes the people who are building Idaho’s new firing squad facility. For their own sake, I am here to beg the owners of Okland Construction and Cator Ruma to withdraw from their contract and stop working on that project. They don’t want that on their conscience.”
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At both events, Randy Gardner is prepared to present autopsy images of his brother as well as a forensic expert evaluation of the images.
Pharmaceutical companies have continued to increasingly refuse permitting their drugs be used in executions. The denials have since lead to widespread shortages of lethal injection drugs. Multiple states have since responded by attempting to find alternative execution methods. Idaho has allegedly been one of the most aggressive states in its search, and has recently passed legislation allowing execution by firing squad, after failing to obtain lethal injection drugs…