Libyans took to the streets with celebratory gunfire, car horns, and cheers to celebrate the long-awaited death of their ousted dictator Moammar Gadhafi, who was killed in a cross-fire in his hometown of Sirte as troops from the National Transitional Council and his supporters exchanged fire. The NTC captured Gadhafi and attempted to usher him into a car, but Gadhafi was shot in his right arm. As the car escaped, his supporters barraged the car with fire, shooting Gadhafi in the head, and ultimately killing him just before the car made it to the hospital. A grainy - but credible - video was released that showed a wounded Gadhafi making his way to the hospital, and second one showed his dead body with a head wound (Basu).
According to three separate reports by the US, NATO, and French officials, Gadhafi's convoy, which was making its escape out of the city, was forced to pull over by an attack by French warplanes and a US drone. Ali Aujali, Libya's ambassador to the United States, reported that Gadhafi was discovered by NTC troops inside a large drainage pipe filled with trash and sand. Since his capture, the pipe was spray painted with "The place of the rat Gadhafi" and "You scum" along with other vulgar phrases. An armed Gadhafi immediately surrendered once he was found. DNA samples confirmed Gadhafi's identity (Basu).
A former aide of Gadhafi's, who switched sides after his nine years of service to the former dictator, rejoiced in Gadhafi's death, saying that it didn't matter if he was dead or alive just as long as he was no longer free. "As long as he was on the run, he represented a very ominous danger to the Libyan people," Saad said. "He represented a very ominous danger .