A federal judge thinks it is time to ditch lethal injection as capital punishment and return to the "more primitive" but "fool-proof" firing squad.

A few days prior to the controversial execution of Joseph Wood in Arizona, Chief Judge Alex Kozinski expressed his belief that the Arizona execution would have gone as planned if they opted to return to the more brutal and "honest" capital punishment method.

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Kozinski, who was tasked to review Wood's case, has made clear in his statement that he detests lethal injection as it disguises the cruel nature of death penalty.

"Eight or ten large-caliber rifle bullets fired at close range can inflict massive damage, causing instant death every time," he stated.

On Thursday, the 9^th Circuit Court of Appeals top judge told the Associated Press that the use of drugs to carry out death sentences is a "misguided effort to mask the brutality of executions by making them look serene and peaceful."

However, Wood's execution on Wednesday was far from peaceful as witnesses claimed that he gasped for breath for more than 90 minutes after being injected with lethal drugs and has allegedly suffered for two hours before finally succumbing to death.

Wood, 55, was convicted and sentenced with death penalty after he murdered his estranged girlfriend and her father in 1989.

Reports indicate that Arizona authorities identified the two drugs injected to Wood but not their sources, expiration dates, dosages and the qualifications of the execution staff.

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer ordered a probe on the injection procedures where there was no evidence found indicating Wood was suffering.

Tagsjoseph wood, arizona botched execution, lethal injection