Overview
- Bryant, 44, elected the method over lethal injection or the electric chair by a Friday deadline set by the state.
- He admitted to killing Willard “TJ” Tietjen in 2004 in a case marked by brutal details, and prosecutors say he also fatally shot two other men that month.
- South Carolina’s firing squad uses three volunteer shooters from about 15 feet who aim for the heart, a process defense lawyers now question after witnesses reported groans and an 80‑second death in the last case.
- Attorneys for the most recent man shot to death argue the shooters nearly missed his heart and cite autopsy photos showing two entry wounds, while prison officials say the execution proceeded as planned and only requires a heart hit.
- Bryant would be the third firing-squad execution in the state this year and the eighth execution since South Carolina resumed capital punishment in 2024, becoming the 50th in the state since the penalty was reinstated, with firing squads remaining rare nationally.