Third Firing Squad Execution Carried Out in South Carolina
A South Carolina firing squad has executed Stephen Bryant, 44, on Friday evening, making him the third person to die by this method in the state this year. Bryant was condemned for murdering three people during a five-day killing spree in rural South Carolina back in 2004.
The Final Moments
Bryant was pronounced dead at 6:05 p.m. on Friday 15th November 2025. The condemned man made no final statement, offering only a brief glance toward the ten witnesses present before prison staff placed a hood over his head.
Three prison employees, all armed with live ammunition, carried out the execution. Shots rang out approximately 55 seconds after the firing squad received their signal. Witnesses reported that Bryant made no noise as the red bullseye target marking his heart flew forward from his chest.
After a few shallow breaths and a final spasm occurring just over a minute later, a doctor examined him with a stethoscope before officially declaring him dead. A media witness noted that a pool of wetness emerged on Bryant's chest where he had been shot.
Background and Final Hours
Bryant had chosen execution by firing squad over the alternatives of lethal injection or the electric chair. For his final meal, he requested an elaborate feast including spicy mixed seafood stir-fry, fried fish over rice, egg rolls, stuffed shrimp, two candy bars and German chocolate cake.
Three family members of Bryant's victims served as witnesses and were observed holding hands throughout the execution. Republican Governor Henry McMaster denied clemency for Bryant, maintaining the pattern of no South Carolina governor offering clemency since the death penalty resumed in the United States in 1976.
Legal Context and Childhood Trauma
Bryant becomes the seventh person executed in South Carolina over the past 14 months, following a 13-year pause in executions when the state couldn't obtain lethal injection drugs. The state resumed executions in September 2024, with four men subsequently executed by lethal injection and two by firing squad before Bryant.
Bo King, a lawyer who works on death penalty cases in South Carolina, revealed that Bryant had suffered significant childhood trauma. King stated Bryant had a genetic disorder, was a victim of sexual and physical abuse by relatives, and that his mother's binge drinking had "permanently damaged his body and brain."
"Mr. Bryant's impairments left him unable to endure the tormenting memories of his childhood," King wrote in a statement, adding that Bryant had "showed grace and courage in forgiving his family and great love for those in and outside of his prison."
The 2004 Murders
Bryant admitted to killing Willard "TJ" Tietjen in October 2004 after stopping by his secluded home in rural Sumter County, claiming he had car trouble. Tietjen was shot several times. In a chilling detail, Bryant then answered Tietjen's phone when it rang multiple times, telling both his wife and daughter that he was the prowler and had killed them.
Authorities confirmed Bryant also murdered two other men—one before and one after Tietjen. He had given the men rides and shot them in the back when they got out to urinate by the roadside.
During the manhunt, officers stopped nearly everyone driving on dirt roads in the area east of Columbia, warning residents to be wary of strangers asking for help.
Firing Squad Procedure and Controversy
The firing squad execution method has seen revival in recent years in the United States, with some lawmakers arguing it represents the quickest and most humane execution method. This comes after numerous botched executions using other methods, particularly lethal injection.
South Carolina is among several states where the electric chair remains legal, alongside Utah, Idaho, Oklahoma and Mississippi where firing squad is either legal or a backup method.
The execution procedure involves the condemned being strapped into a chair with a white square featuring a red bull's-eye target placed over their heart by a doctor. After any final statement is read, a prison employee places a hood over the person's head before the firing squad—positioned just 15 feet away—fires high-powered rifles without audible or visual warning to witnesses.
Bryant marks the 43rd man executed in the United States so far this year, with at least 14 others scheduled for execution during the remainder of 2025 and into next year. He becomes the 50th person executed in South Carolina since the state reinstated the death penalty forty years ago.
