South Carolina carried out its third firing squad execution of the year on Friday, with Stephen Bryant being pronounced dead at 6:05 p.m. Bryant, who killed three people in a rural area of the state in 2004, chose to die by firing squad instead of lethal injection or the electric chair. This marks the seventh execution in 14 months for South Carolina after a 13-year pause in executions due to the unavailability of lethal injection drugs. Governor Henry McMaster denied clemency for Bryant, continuing the trend of no South Carolina governor offering clemency since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976.
The firing squad method has a long and violent history globally, with recent revivals in the U.S. due to concerns over botched executions using lethal injection drugs. South Carolina, among other states, has struggled to maintain a supply of these drugs, leading to the resurgence of firing squad and electric chair executions.
Bryant’s 2004 killings in rural South Carolina involved the murder of three men, with Bryant admitting to the crimes after being troubled in the months leading up to the killings. His execution marks the 50th in South Carolina since the state resumed the death penalty 40 years ago.
During a firing squad execution, the person is strapped into a chair, a target is placed over their heart, and they are hooded before the firing squad opens fire. Witnessing the execution, a doctor then examines the individual to declare them dead. Concerns have been raised about the accuracy and pain involved in firing squad executions, with the potential for prolonged suffering if the heart is not directly hit.
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