Eight death row inmates could soon be marched into Idaho’s newly built $1.2million execution chamber, after the state officially made the firing squad its primary method of carrying out the death penalty.
Beginning July 1, Idaho became the only state in America where condemned inmates will, by default, face a hail of bullets instead of lethal injection—a dramatic policy shift prompted by last year’s botched attempt to execute convicted murderer Thomas Eugene Creech.
Republican Gov. Brad Little, who seeks a third term this November, signed both firing squad bills into law. The 2025 bill delayed implementation so IDOC had time to rebuild its execution chamber.
State officials have now unveiled the chilling blueprint for exactly how those executions will unfold in the Maximum Security State Prison, from recruiting volunteer police officers to pulling the trigger, to the possibility of a second volley of bullets if the unlucky inmate survives the first.
Rather than relying on prison execution specialists, Idaho will recruit six volunteer law enforcement officers to form each firing squad.
Three primary officers will fire the fatal shots from, while two alternates stand by in reserve. A sixth officer will act as team leader, loading the IDOC -owned rifles and directing the execution.
The identities of every volunteer will remain confidential under state law. Only the prison director and deputy director will know who the shooters are.
This should be used more often, It would curtail a lot of crime.