Death by firing squad could become Idaho’s primary method of execution under a bill headed to the governor’s desk this week. The Idaho Senate passed the bill on Wednesday, and it will take effect next year if it is signed by Gov. Brad Little. Firing-squad executions have been a back-up method in Idaho since 2023, available only if prison officials are unable to obtain lethal injection drugs. Rep. Doug Ricks, the bill’s sponsor, said the legislation was spurred by Idaho’s botched attempt to execute Thomas Eugene Creech last year, when execution team members were unable to find a suitable vein for an IV line. He suggested shooting someone was more effective and humane than other execution methods. He speculated that the state could use a machine or “electronic triggering methods” that would eliminate the need for human volunteers to pull the triggers. “One thing about this method, it’s pretty sure,” Ricks said during a hearing on the bill last month. “It’s not going to be something that gets done part way.” Four other states — Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Utah — also allow the use of firing squads in certain circumstances, but the method has rarely been used in recent history. South Carolina is expected to put the first person to death by firing squad in the U.S. in 15 years, with the planned execution of Brad Sigmon set for Friday.
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