A South Carolina prison carried out a firing‑squad execution on Friday, making the state’s fourth such death in 2025 and the third in a 13‑year pause that ended last year. Stephen Bryant, 44, was pronounced dead at 6:05 p.m. after three officers with live ammunition carried out the shots.
Bryant had killed three people in five days in rural South Carolina in 2004, a crime that led to his 2005 death‑penalty conviction. He chose the firing squad over lethal injection or the electric chair, and he did not give a final statement.
The execution happened in a closed chamber with fewer than a dozen witnesses behind bullet‑proof glass. The body was strapped to a chair, a white pad with a red bull‑eye target taped over the heart, and a hood was placed over Bryant’s head.
A single firing squad shot from 15 feet away. The shots rang out about 55 seconds later. No sound came from Bryant, and the tiny strike left a sharp red mark on the chest. A doctor checked him within a minute and declared him dead.
Witnesses at the scene said a pool of wetness appeared where the bullet hit. Three family members of the victims, who were witnesses, held hands during the execution.
Bryant is the seventh person South Carolina has executed in 14 months since the state resumed the death penalty in 2024 after a 13‑year break over shortages of lethal‑injection drugs. Republican Gov. Henry McMaster has denied clemency for Bryant – the first time a South Carolina governor has withheld clemency since 1976.
Final meal
Before his execution, Bryant was served spicy mixed seafood stir‑fry, fried fish over rice, egg rolls, stuffed shrimp, two candy bars and a slice of German chocolate cake.
Background
Bryant had a genetic disorder and reportedly suffered abuse from family members and a mother who drank heavily. A South Carolina death‑penalty lawyer, Bo King, said the trauma left Bryant unable to escape the painful memories of his childhood, yet he showed “grace and courage” by forgiving his family. King said Bryan’s kindness towards others and love for nature were notable.
Firing squad vs. lethal injection
The firing squad has a long violent history, used for military discipline in the U.S. Old West, and by totalitarian regimes. In the U.S., some officials argue it is the quickest and most humane method, especially after botched lethal‑injection executions. South Carolina paused executions for 13 years because of a lack of lethal‑injection drugs, then restarted in September 2024. Since then, the state has carried out four lethal‑injection executions and three firing‑squad executions. The electric chair remains legal there.
King, speaking for Bryant, called all seven recent executions “brutal and shameful” and said none have made South Carolina safer or more just. Similar firing‑squad executions have also occurred in Utah, Idaho, Oklahoma, and Mississippi – but Utah has not used the method since 2010.
The 2004 murders
In October 2004, Bryant stopped at the secluded home of Willard “TJ” Tietjen in rural Sumter County, claiming car trouble. He shot Tietjen multiple times and later called Tietjen’s phone to inform his wife and daughter that the caller was the killer. Bryant also killed two other men, one before and one after the Tietjen shooting, while they had been standing on the side of the road.
After the murders, police searched nearly everyone driving on dirt roads east of Columbia and warned residents to be cautious of unknown people asking for help.
Bryant is the 43rd person executed in the U.S. this year and the 50th since South Carolina reinstated the death penalty 40 years ago. At least 14 more executions are scheduled for the rest of 2025 and into 2026.
How a firing‑squad execution works
The chamber’s curtain opens, witnesses sit behind protective glass, and the condemned is strapped to a chair. A doctor places a red target over the heart, the prisoner’s lawyer may read a statement, and a hood is placed. The firing squad fires. A doctor then examines the body and declares death. Some witnesses have reported that shooters can miss the heart, leading to prolonged suffering – allegations that have sparked debate over the method’s humanity.
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