Tennessee death row inmates want firing squad over lethal injection ahead of state's first execution in years
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — As Tennessee is set to carry out its first execution under the state's new death penalty protocol this month, some death row inmates say the firing squad would be more humane.
Currently, the state's main method of execution is lethal injection, but death row inmates whose crimes were committed before Jan. 1, 1999, also have the option of the electric chair.
Kelley Henry, the chief of the Capital Habeas Unit at the Federal Public Defender's Office, questions the constitutionality of the two options because they can both cause severe pain.
📧 Have breaking news come to you: →
'When that chemical enters your system, that poison, it's going to eat away the lining of your lungs, cause fluid to rush into your lungs, and then you will essentially drown in your own fluid,' Henry said. 'Or there's this other opportunity where you can be electrocuted and your internal organs will all be cooked, and it feels like you're being set on fire.'
In addition, the lethal injection drug, pentobarbital, has strict procurement, storage, transportation, and administration guidelines, which a 2022 independent report revealed the state wasn't following under its old death penalty protocol.
Henry told News 2 that, due to those issues and the potential for severe pain, many inmates would prefer the firing squad as an execution method.
'What our clients have proposed is the firing squad because that doesn't require sophisticated training. It's still brutal, it's still incredibly violent, but what we know now from science and the Department of Justice report that came out in Jan. of this year, where the United States Dept. of Justice said we are no longer going to use pentobarbital because of the ways in which it causes super added pain and suffering…' Henry said. 'With the firing squad, you're going to see a brutal death, but it will be much quicker.'
Tennessee Republicans tried to add the firing squad as an execution option in 2023, but the bill never made it out of committee.
'Why would we want correctional officers to sit there and point guns at individuals as a form of killing? It's almost legalizing first-degree murder. That is not cool,' Sen. London Lamar (D-Memphis) said in 2023.
'Some people have survived an initial volley of bullets in a firing squad execution, leading to a second volley of bullets,' Rep. G.A. Hardaway (D-Memphis) read from a lawsuit out of South Carolina during a 2023 committee hearing on the bill. 'If some of this information is accurate, we're probably going to end up in court on constitutional issues.'
A similar bill was brought this past legislative session, but it never made it to committee.
Henry and other groups will continue to push for what they call a 'constitutional execution' method.
'Even if they're going to be executed, if that's going to be the case, they're still entitled to a constitutional method of execution, and not only are they entitled to it, the citizens of Tennessee want to see a constitutional method,' Henry said.
⏩
It's unclear if lawmakers plan to bring legislation to legalize the firing squad in executions next session.
The state plans to execute death row inmate Oscar Smith, by lethal injection, on May 22.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Washington Post
31 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Small plane carrying six people crashes off the San Diego coast
Authorities were investigating Monday after a small plane carrying six people crashed off the San Diego coast. The twin-engine Cessna 414 crashed at around 12:30 p.m. Sunday, not long after it took off, the Federal Aviation Administration said . The plane was returning to Phoenix one day after flying out from Arizona, according to the flight tracking website


E&E News
34 minutes ago
- E&E News
House Republicans plan scrutiny of Clean Air Act rules
House Republicans are again taking aim at the Clean Air Act, citing the need to bolster the United States' global competitiveness. The Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment will hold a hearing this week titled 'Short-Circuiting Progress: How the Clean Air Act Impacts Building Necessary Infrastructure and Onshoring American Innovation.' 'American innovation should not be stifled by unreasonable government red tape and regulatory overreach,' said committee Chair Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) and subcommittee Chair Morgan Griffith (R-Va.) in a statement. Advertisement The hearing will be the latest in recent years to focus on various aspects of the landmark environmental law, which was last amended in 1990.


E&E News
34 minutes ago
- E&E News
House to vote on TVA transparency, gas cylinder bills
The House is slated to vote this week on one bill to require the Tennessee Valley Authority to open its meetings to the public and another to strengthen safety standards for certain imported gas cylinders. Both bills advanced out of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee with bipartisan votes in recent months. This week's votes are set to happen under suspension of the rules, requiring a two-thirds majority. H.R. 1373, the 'Tennessee Valley Authority Transparency Act,' would require the board of the federally owned Appalachian electric utility to meet at least four times a year, in gatherings that are open to the public and preceded by formal public notices. Advertisement The legislation, spearheaded by Reps. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) and Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), is part of an increase in legislative scrutiny of TVA. Earlier this year, the House passed legislation to increase financial reporting requirements for the authority.