- Tennessee lawmakers discussed a bill that would allow inmates to be executed by firing squad.
- During the meeting, Rep. Paul Sherrell suggested lynching as another possible execution method.
- After severe backlash, Sherrell apologized and said he “used very poor judgment.”
A Tennessee lawmaker issued a public apology on Wednesday after he suggested “hanging by a tree” as a method of execution, Nashville Tennessean reported.
In a statement, State Rep. Paul Sherrell, from Sparta, said his “exaggerated comments were intended to convey my belief that for the cruelest and most heinous crimes, a just society requires the death penalty in kind,” the outlet reported.
“Although a victim’s family cannot be restored when an execution is carried out, a lesser punishment undermines the value we place on protecting life. My intention was to express my support of families who often wait decades for justice. I sincerely apologize to anyone who may have been hurt or offended,” the statement said.
Sherrell made the comment during a House Criminal Justice Committee meeting on Tuesday as lawmakers were debating an amendment to a bill that would allow death row inmates to be executed by firing squad — a method currently not allowed in the state.
“I was just wondering, could I put an amendment on that that would include hanging by a tree, also,” Sherrell asked, according to Nashville Tennessean. He also offered to co-sponsor the state bill.
His comments sparked immense backlash. Ben Crump, a civil rights attorney known for representing the families of George Floyd and Tyre Nichols, tweeted on Thursday: “This is UNREAL! … How in 2023 can a government official have such a grotesque suggestion leave his mouth?!”
Sherrell did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.
A independent report published late last year found failures in how the state’s death row prisoners were executed by lethal injection.
Several of the state’s representatives said this week that they believed firing squad would be the most humane way to be executed. The bill was moved forward to the Finance Committee, CBS News reported.
Source: Vietnam Insider