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South Carolina Set to Execute Stephen Bryant by Firing Squad Tonight

State officials cite lethal-injection drug shortages in turning to a rarely used method.

Overview

  • The execution is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET at Broad River Correctional Institution in Columbia, and Bryant has no appeals pending.
  • Under the protocol, three volunteer prison employees with live ammunition will fire from about 15 feet after Bryant is strapped to a chair, hooded, and marked with a target over the heart.
  • Bryant, 44, pleaded guilty to a 2004 spree that left three men dead and one wounded and received the death sentence for killing Willard “T. J.” Tietjen.
  • If carried out, the execution would be South Carolina’s third by firing squad this year and the 43rd U.S. execution of 2025.
  • The method faces renewed scrutiny after lawyers in a recent South Carolina case alleged the shooters barely struck the heart, raising concerns about potential suffering; clemency remains possible but has historically not been granted.