A South Carolina firing squad executed Stephen Bryant on Friday, marking the third such execution in the state this year and continuing a rapid pace of capital punishment after a 13-year hiatus.
The Execution and Its Context
Three volunteer prison employees, all armed with live ammunition, carried out the execution of 44-year-old Stephen Bryant at the Broad River Correctional Institution in Columbia. Officials pronounced Bryant dead at 6:05 p.m. after he chose firing squad over lethal injection or electrocution.
This execution represents the seventh person put to death by South Carolina in just 14 months, following a prolonged pause in executions when the state couldn't obtain lethal injection drugs. Republican Governor Henry McMaster denied clemency for Bryant, continuing a trend where no South Carolina governor has offered clemency since the death penalty resumed in the United States in 1976.
The 2004 Murder Spree
Bryant admitted to killing three people during a five-day period in rural Sumter County in 2004. His crime spree began when he stopped at the secluded home of Willard "TJ" Tietjen, claiming car trouble, then shot Tietjen multiple times.
In a chilling detail, prosecutors said Bryant answered Tietjen's phone when it rang repeatedly, telling both the victim's wife and daughter that he was the prowler and had killed Tietjen. Bryant also killed two other men during his rampage, offering them rides then shooting them in the back when they stopped to urinate roadside.
During the manhunt, officers stopped nearly every vehicle on dirt roads in the area east of Columbia, warning residents to be wary of strangers asking for help.
Firing Squad's Resurgence in America
The firing squad method has seen renewed interest in recent years as states struggle with obtaining lethal injection drugs and face criticism over botched executions. South Carolina is among several states where the electric chair remains legal, though firing squad has become an increasingly used alternative.
Since restarting executions in September 2024 after the 13-year pause, South Carolina has executed four men by lethal injection and three by firing squad, including Bryant. The method remains legal in Utah, Idaho, Oklahoma, and Mississippi as either primary or backup execution methods.
Some lawmakers argue firing squad represents the quickest and most humane execution method available, though defense lawyers for the last man executed by this method in South Carolina claimed the shooters nearly missed Mikal Mahdi's heart, potentially prolonging his suffering.
Bryant becomes the 43rd person executed in the United States this year and the 50th in South Carolina since the state reinstated capital punishment four decades ago. At least 14 additional executions are scheduled through 2026.
