The South Carolina Department of Corrections says it has established plans for how its new firing squad is to operate— but the state agency isn't sharing full details with the public.
After a spokesperson for the agency declined to provide a copy of its protocol for carrying out executions this week, The Greenville News filed a Freedom of Information Act request to learn more, including how those who carry out execution orders are chosen and compensated.
Greenville County natives Brad Sigmon and Freddie Owens and Spartanburg County native Richard Moore are among those convicted of murder who areon death row in South Carolina, where legal wrangling is ongoing while state officials work to carry out death sentences. State officials have saidthey cannot obtain the drugs necessary to carry out lethal injections but can handle electric-chair executions, and they've now established a firing squad.
Execution delayed:South Carolina Supreme Court delays scheduled execution of Greenville County's Brad Sigmon
The limited information that the Department of Corrections has released through a press releaseprovides a glimpse into how the firing squad isto work.
►The inmate facing death will be escorted into the state's Capital Punishment Facility inside Broad River Correctional Institute in Columbia. That chamberhas been renovated to accommodate a firing squad.
The inmate will be wearinga prison uniform and given the opportunity to make a last statement.
In Utah —a state that South Carolina officials visited while devising their own policies — inmates facing death havetwo minutes to speak and the execution proceeds regardless of how long the inmate speaks. South Carolina officials have not provided a timeline for inmates' statements.
Utah,the only state in the past 40 yearstocarry out such a death sentence. had its most recent firing-squad execution in 2010.
► Inmates facing a firing-squad death in South Carolina are to be strapped into a chairwith a hood placed over their head and a target placed over their heart. Thechair faces a wall with a rectangular opening 15 feet away.
The firing squad is not visible from the witness room. Witnesses will see the right profile of the inmate.
In Utah, the firing squad is set up 25 feet away from the inmate.
Firing squad established:SC is now prepared to use a firing squad for executions as Greenville men wait for death
►South Carolina's firing squad is to be comprised of three members firing live rounds.
Utah uses a five-member firing squad, andat least one riflefires non-lethal bullets, according toUtah's 138-page manual, obtained through open-records laws in 2017 by the nonprofit news collaborative MuckRock.com.
►South Carolina's firing squad consists of three people from nearly 5,000 Department of Corrections employees.Those people meet "certain qualifications," according to the Department of Corrections, but what those qualifications are, how those people are to be chosen and how they are compensated has not been revealed.
Being a member of the firing squad is not a part of any employee's job, said Department of Corrections spokesperson Chrysti Shain, but any employee who is qualified can volunteer to participate.
In Utah, policy requires marksmen to pass a qualifying test by hitting a target the same size as the one placed on the inmate's chest. Any certified police officer can apply and take the test, issued at a distance of at least 21 feet. Missing one time disqualifies an officer from participating.
►Execution team members' identities are protected and they are to remain anonymous in South Carolina.
Execution team members in Utah also remain anonymous. The Utah procedure requires "three rehearsals and practices" of any execution;South Carolina officials have not confirmed how they will practice or when rehearsals take place.
The execution team "trains at least one time per month year-round," Shain said in an email. Once an execution order is issued, that training becomes "more frequent."
All South Carolina Department of Corrections employees have access to a Critical Incident Stress Management program, a peer support system, Shain said. The confidential program involves peer support, group intervention and three-day post-incident seminars for staff experiencing longer-term issues, according to the Department of Corrections.
►After the warden reads the execution order, the firing squad is to fire.
Utah'sfiring-squad members use .30-caliber Winchester rifles holding two rounds of ammunition.
South Carolina officials redacted both the type of rifle and the type of ammunition fromits response to a previous Freedom of Information Act request.
►A doctor is to check the inmate after a round of gunshots to determine if a second round is needed.
While South Carolina officials did not provide a timeline for medical checks or a second round of gunfire,Utah's manualdictates that if the inmate is unconscious after the first round of gunshots, a doctor checks their pulse every 60 seconds for up to 10 minutes until death is confirmed. If the inmate is unconscious but alive after 10 minutes, the firing squad fires another round.
►After the inmate is declared dead, the curtain will be drawn and witnesses escorted out.
Stories like this are possible because of our subscribers. Please support journalism in Greenville and subscribe by visitinggreenvillenews.com/subscribe.
–Caitlin Herrington covers government, growth and more. Get in touch with her at cherrington@greenvillenews.com andfollow her on Twitter and Instagram@GVLnewsCat.
