Alabama man shook violently during first nitrogen gas execution

Alabama’s lethal injection chamber at Holman Correctional Facility (AP Photo/Dave Martin, File)

A man put to death using nitrogen gas shook and convulsed for minutes on the gurney as Alabama carried out a first-of-its-kind execution.

Breathing through a nitrogen-filled face mask that deprived him of oxygen, 58-year-old convicted killer Kenneth Eugene Smith convulsed in seizure-like spasms for at least two minutes of the 22-minute execution by nitrogen hypoxia on Thursday.