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Brother of man executed in Utah disrupts legislature in protest

Posted at 9:46 PM, Mar 10, 2016
and last updated 2016-03-11 05:19:08-05

SALT LAKE CITY -- The final hours of the 2016 Utah legislative session were marked by protest, as the brother of a man who was executed by firing squad in Utah disrupted the House.

Randy Gardner stood in the House gallery and shouted down at lawmakers in the midst of session on Thursday night. He unfurled a banner displaying graphic autopsy photos of his brother, Ronnie Lee Gardner, who was killed by firing squad in 2010.

Gardner was escorted out of the Capitol by Utah Highway Patrol troopers as the House took a recess in response to the protest. Gardner told FOX 13 News' Ben Winslow he staged the protest so legislators could, "see what the death penalty looks like."

Some lawmakers called for Gardner's arrest. The Utah Highway Patrol later confirmed Gardner was not arrested, but told to leave Capitol grounds.

While FOX 13 News' cameras captured the images depicted on the banner, due to their graphic nature we have chosen not to show that footage. Photos taken from far enough away to obscure the graphic details show the banner Gardner displayed, see the tweet below for those images.

Earlier in the day, lawmakers announced they would not likely consider a bill that would eliminate the death penalty in Utah.