A South Carolina death row inmate was executed by firing squad on Friday, becoming the third person in the state this year to die by this method. Stephen Corey Bryant, convicted of murdering three people during a 2004 crime spree, was pronounced dead at 6:05 p.m. at the Broad River Correctional Institution in Columbia, after three volunteer prison employees simultaneously fired at his heart from 15 feet away.
Firing Squad Execution: Details and Controversy
Bryant’s execution followed his decision to choose the firing squad over lethal injection and the electric chair, an option added by South Carolina lawmakers in 2021 after the state could not secure lethal injection drugs due to manufacturers’ objections and legal obstacles. This execution was South Carolina’s seventh since resuming the death penalty in September 2024, and puts the state among those with the highest numbers of executions this year, tied with Texas and Alabama and trailing only Florida.
The Reality of South Carolina’s Policy
South Carolina’s firing squad option remains controversial and has drawn protests as well as legal challenges, particularly after reports of a “botched” execution earlier this year. The process requires the condemned inmate to be restrained in a chair, with arms, legs, and head strapped down and a hood placed over their head, before three shooters carry out the execution. Bryant did not make a final statement before being executed.
National Perspective and Rising Debate
Since 1977, only six prisoners in the United States have been executed by firing squad, with South Carolina’s recent executions matching Utah’s previous total. With more than 40 executions nationwide this year, the use of the death penalty is once again on the rise in the U.S., fueling renewed debate over execution methods and criminal justice reform as states continue to grapple with legal, ethical, and supply challenges surrounding lethal injection.