DEATH by firing squad is slated to become the primary method of execution in one state after a series of botched lethal injections.
Lawmakers are pushing to prioritize the violent execution after one inmate survived eight lethal injection attempts.
A new proposal put forth by Idaho Representative Bruce Skaug aims to enhance current laws permitting death by firing squad when lethal injections are unavailable.
Under his proposal, prison officials would use a firing squad as their lead option rather than as a last-ditch effort.
The bill came 11 months after Thomas Creech, a 73-year-old serial killer, sat through eight injection attempts but walked away alive.
Executioners couldn’t find a vein for an IV and returned the criminal, who confessed to 42 murders, back to prison where he awaits his fate.
Another botched injection took place in Alabama in 2022, when prison workers tried to insert an IV into Joe Nathan James Jr.’s veins for three hours.
An autopsy revealed puncture marks and cuts on his hands, wrists, arms, and feet after he was finally put to death.
Recently, an Alabama convict named Kenneth Smith experienced a prolonged ordeal on a medical cot as medical staff faced challenges in locating a suitable vein for his injection.
He was later put to death by nitrogen gas in the first-ever execution using that method.
Lawyers representing Creech are now fighting for a life sentence for him due to the botched injection, and his execution has been suspended.
In a meeting with legislators, Skaug, a Republican, joined Senator Doug Ricks to present the bill.
He argued the firing squad was a more humane execution method, and said it has less of an economic impact on the state.
“This is how we carry out justice,” Skaug told state legislators on Tuesday.
“In some cases, the juries have already decided or the judges that this is an appropriate death penalty case for some people.
“And so our job is to make sure it’s carried out in the most efficient manner.”
Four other states have a firing squad as a backup execution method – Mississippi, Oklahoma, Utah, and South Carolina.
However, Idaho would be the only state in the country to prioritize the shooting deaths.
The last inmate to be killed by a firing squad was Ronnie Gardner in Utah in 2010.
Gardner killed a man while trying to escape a Utah courthouse in 1985, and chose to die by gunfire.
What states have the death penalty?
- Montana
- Idaho
- Wyoming
- Utah
- Nevada
- Arizona
- South Dakota
- Nebraska
- Kansas
- Oklahoma
- Texas
- Kentucky
- Tennessee
- Missouri
- Louisiana
- Arkansas
- Georgia
- Alabama
- Mississippi
- Florida
- South Carolina
- North Carolina
- Indiana
During firing squad executions, individuals are usually secured in a chair with leather restraints and positioned in front of a canvas barrier, as outlined by the Death Penalty Information Center.
A hood is placed over the inmate’s head, and sandbags are placed around the chair to catch their blood. A white cloth is placed over their heart as a target for the executioners.
Five gunmen will stand in an enclosure set up about 20 feet away, and take aim with .30 caliber rifle loaded with a single round.
After the prisoner is shot, they will most likely die from blood loss. Once enough blood drains from their brain, they’ll go unconscious.
If their heart isn’t struck by gunfire, the killing can be a lengthy process.
The firing squad bill is expected to come before a committee sometime in the next week.
