Troy Davis’ execution, according to Greg Bluestein of the Associated Press

‘By the time we were inside, officials had already strapped Davis to the gurney’

Greg Bluestein, an Atlanta-based reporter for the Associated Press, has witnessed 10 executions. He says last night’s execution of Troy Davis, the Georgia man who maintained he was not responsible for the 1989 killing of Savannah police officer Mark MacPhail, was the “most unusual.” Via Newser:

We were led into a white van and, after passing through several security checkpoints, we were delivered to the squat white building on the edge of the prison that serves as the death chamber. We watched the slain officer’s son, Mark MacPhail Jr., enter the building. Behind him, Jason Ewart, the condemned man’s attorney, walked in. A county coroner’s van rolled up.

By the time we were inside, officials had already strapped Davis to the gurney. There was a glass window with a curtain separating Davis from the witnesses, who sat in three rows of seats. There were about 20 of us.

Davis searched for Ewart, who nodded slightly when they locked eyes. MacPhail Jr., sitting in the front row, focused on Davis.

If you’ve been searching for a first-hand account of what happened last night — and Davis’ final words — it’s a good place to start.