A Life Ends with a Shot: South Carolina's Firing Squad Execution

In a quiet corner of South Carolina, a man named Stephen Bryant took his last breaths on Friday. He was 44 years old.

The Execution

• Method: Firing squad (Bryant's choice)
• Witnesses: 10
• Final Moments: Bryant looked at the witnesses before a hood was placed over his head.
• Execution Time: About 55 seconds
• Final Actions: A doctor declared Bryant dead after checking him for a minute.

Background

• Crimes: Killed three people in five days (2004)
• Victims' Families: Three family members held hands during the execution.
• Governor's Decision: Republican Governor Henry McMaster denied Bryant's request for clemency.

Recent Executions in South Carolina

• Total: 7 in the past 14 months
• Pause: 13-year pause due to lack of drugs for lethal injections.

Bryant's Final Meal

• Spicy mixed seafood stir-fry
• Fried fish over rice
• Egg rolls
• Stuffed shrimp
• Two candy bars
• German chocolate cake

Bryant's Life

• Background: Suffered from a genetic disorder, abused by relatives, affected by his mother's drinking.
• Final Words: None. He just looked at the witnesses.

Firing Squad Method

• History: Used in armies, frontier justice, and political repression.
• Recent Use: Revived in the U.S. due to botched executions by other methods.
• Process:
  1. The person is strapped into a chair.
  2. A white square with a red bull's-eye target is placed over the heart.
  3. A hood is placed over the head.
  4. The firing squad fires high-powered rifles from 15 feet away.
  5. A doctor declares the person dead.

Bryant's Crimes

• First Victim: Willard "TJ" Tietjen (2004)
• Bryant stopped by Tietjen's secluded home, claiming car trouble.
• Tietjen was shot several times.
• Bryant answered Tietjen's phone, telling his wife and daughter that he had killed them.
• Other Victims: Two men shot in the back while urinating on the side of the road.

Statistics

• U.S. Executions in 2024: 43rd
• Scheduled Executions: At least 14 for the rest of 2025 and next year.
• South Carolina Executions: 50th since the state restarted the death penalty 40 years ago.