Posted on 11/14/2025 6:26:05 PM PST by Oldeconomybuyer
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A South Carolina firing squad has executed a man Friday, the third person to die by that method in the state this year.
Three prison employees, all with live ammunition, volunteered to carry out the execution of Stephen Bryant, 44, who was pronounced dead at 6:05 p.m. Bryant killed three people in five days in a rural area of the state in 2004.
Bryant chose to die by firing squad instead of lethal injection or the electric chair. He made no final statement and briefly glanced toward the 10 witnesses before the hood was placed on his head.
The shots rang out about 55 seconds later. Bryant made no noise. The red bullseye target that marks the location of his heart flew forward off his chest. He had a few shallow breaths and then a final spasm a little over a minute later. A doctor checked him with a stethoscope for a minute before he pronounced Bryant dead.
Three family members of victims who served as witnesses held hands during the execution.
Bryant admitted to killing Willard “TJ” Tietjen in October 2004 after stopping by his secluded home in rural Sumter County and saying he had car trouble.
Tietjen was shot several times. Bryant then answered Tietjen’s phone after it rang several times telling both his wife and daughter that he was the prowler and had killed them, prosecutors said.
Bryant also killed two men — one before and one after Tietjen. He gave the men rides and when they got out to urinate on the side of the road, he shot them in the back, authorities said.
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...
Boom, boom, boom...
Out go the lights
Too bad his sentence took 2 decades to carry out.
Only three volunteered? More likely more, but they limited the chosen shooters to three employees. Should have held a lottery pool, make some money for the prison.
My only weakness! Bullets
“Bo King, a lawyer who works on death penalty cases in South Carolina, said Bryant had a genetic disorder, was a victim of sexual and physical abuse by relatives, and his mother’s binge drinking “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”.
Well then, they should be glad ICE is rounding up those pedophiles.
What kind of guns and ammunition? He was dead before he heard the sound of gunfire.
Three therapists just cured that for him. Gratis.
21 years for justice to be served....
Next!
That’s a lot of killings.
Hes still responsible for his choices. Bad life circumstances (if true) do not create people who are unable to make choices or not exercise self control. Thats just excuses. He followed a method and made decisions and kept doing it.
This applies to men and women. Bad life experiences do not absolve future responsibility for bad life choices.
A human sidewinder rattlesnake with a bad case of shingles.
Bad behavior will get you voted off the island... for good.
There is a lot of wisdom in this story...if you FA in South Carolina, you will FO in South Carolina. It is too bad that executions take so long to be done, more than a few years is too long for me, 3 to 6 months should be the norm with today’s forensic technology.
In the past being possessed by the devil still didnt get someone out of being executed for capital crimes. Excuses don’t forgive crimes. Everyone has excuses. It doesnt change the fact that a person committed capital crimes and needs to be held accountable if we are to be a nation of laws and uphold justice for those requiring it.
By the flaming catapult :)
/earworm
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.