Last night, Texas inmate Mark Stroman was executed for killing two men and injuring a third during a "revenge" shooting spree following the September 11 attacks. Stroman, 41, was killed through lethally injection after his final court appeal, even as one of his victims pleaded for the state to withhold capital punishment. On September 15, 2001, Stroman entered three different Dallas convenience stores and shot people he believed were of Middle Eastern descent even though his victims were from South Asia. Stroman tried to justify himself, saying his sister was killed during 9/11, though prosecutors said there was no proof of that. Rais Bhuiyan, who was shot in the eye by Stroman, said "his Muslim faith calls on him to forgive Stroman and that he wanted to break the cycle of violence and spare Stroman's life," reports the Austin American-Statesman. "He said he believes that Stroman was a product of his upbringing and has changed since the attack." In the end, Stroman said he made a "terrible mistake" that was motivated by "pure anger and stupidity."

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John Hudson