R.I.P. Mark Stroman

Roman Colosseum lit to protest an execution

On July 20, Texas executed Mark Stroman  for the killing of Vasudev Patel, an Indian immigrant, in October 2001. Stroman also killed Waqar Hasan, a Pakistani, and injured a third man, Rais Bhuiyan, an immigrant from Bangladesh.  Stroman claimed that the fatal shooting spree, in which he mistook the victims for Arabs, was aimed at avenging the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Bhuiyan, the lone survivor, launched a campaign and filed a lawsuit in an unsuccessful attempt to halt the execution, saying his Muslim beliefs told him to forgive Stroman.  Bhuiyan hoped to spend time with Stroman to learn more about why the shootings occurred.  Bhuiyan said:  Killing him is not the solution.  He's learning from his mistake. If he's given a chance, he's able to reach out to others and spread that message to others."

This is the 28th execution in the United States this year, the eighth in Texas.