execution by firing squad

Execution of two convicted criminals in a Uruguayan prison, 1892. The prison wall reads a quote from Plato: "The most wretched amongst all men is he who cannot endure misfortune". Execution by firing squad, historically called fusillading (from the French fusil, rifle), is a method of capital punishment, particularly common in the military and in times of war. Some reasons for its use are that firearms are usually readily available and a gunshot to a vital organ, such as the brain or heart, most often will kill relatively quickly.

Procedure