Additional Coverage:
- Death row inmate executed by firing squad after taunting cops with message written in victim’s blood (themirror.com)
Death Row Inmate Executed by Firing Squad in South Carolina
COLUMBIA, SC – Stephen Bryant, 44, a death row inmate convicted of three murders, was executed by firing squad Friday evening in South Carolina. Bryant was pronounced dead at 6:05 p.m.
Bryant had chosen to face the firing squad rather than lethal injection or the electric chair. As he was led to the execution chamber, he briefly acknowledged the ten witnesses present before a hood was placed over his head. He offered no final statement.
Approximately 55 seconds after the hood was secured, shots rang out. Three volunteer prison employees, all equipped with live ammunition, carried out the execution.
A red bullseye target, marking the location of his heart, was observed to fly forward from his chest. Bryant showed no immediate reaction, though he had a few shallow breaths and a final spasm about a minute later.
A doctor then used a stethoscope to confirm his death. Media witnesses reported a pool of wetness emerging on Bryant’s chest at the point of impact.
Three family members of the victims, present as witnesses, held hands during the procedure.
Bryant’s execution marks the seventh carried out by South Carolina in the past 14 months, following a 13-year hiatus in executions due to difficulties in obtaining lethal injection drugs.
Republican Governor Henry McMaster denied clemency for Bryant, a decision consistent with no South Carolina governor having granted clemency since the reinstatement of the death penalty in the U.S. in 1976.
For his final meal, Bryant requested a spicy mixed seafood stir-fry, fried fish over rice, egg rolls, stuffed shrimp, two candy bars, and German chocolate cake.
Bo King, an attorney specializing in death penalty cases in South Carolina, issued a statement highlighting Bryant’s troubled past. King noted Bryant had a genetic disorder, was a victim of severe sexual and physical abuse by relatives, and that his mother’s binge drinking “permanently damaged his body and brain.”
“Mr. Bryant’s impairments left him unable to endure the tormenting memories of his childhood,” King stated.
He added that Bryant “showed grace and courage in forgiving his family and great love for those in and outside of his prison.” King concluded by saying, “We will remember his unlikely friendships, his fierce protectiveness, and his love for nature, the water, and the world.”