Death by Firing Squad

It is estimated that 340 men have been executed in the U.S. by firing squad since 1600.

Many of these were military executions carried out during the Civil War, and there have been 144 civilian shooting executions.

Oklahoma carried out 24 executions between 1880 and 1899, and it was used for 23 executions in California between 1824 and 1852.

Oklahoma retains shooting as an option should its lethal injection protocol be declared unconstitutional.

Archival Case Summary

Parameter	Archival Record
Primary Category	Military penal discipline and civilian capital punishment
Lethal Mechanism	Kinetic cardiac rupture, pulmonary disruption, massive hemorrhagic shock
Standard Firing Detail	Typically 5 shooters (civilian) or 8–12 soldiers (military); one blank cartridge randomly loaded
Primary Target	The cardiac silhouette (center of chest), indicated by a pinned cloth or reflective target
First US Post-Furman Use	Gary Gilmore (Utah, 17 January 1977)
Most Recent US Firing Squad	Ronnie Lee Gardner (Utah, 18 June 2010)
US States Authorizing Method	Utah, Oklahoma, Mississippi, South Carolina, Idaho (statutory backup or alternative)

20th Century Firing Squad Use

In the 20th century, only one state other than Utah has actually used shooting.

Nevada carried out a single execution using an “execution machine” on May 14, 1913, when Andrija Mircovich elected this form of death for murder.

This machine consisted of a steel frame with three rifles mounted on it, one of which was loaded with a blank round.

The rifles were equipped with Maxim silencers and were fired by a coiled spring mechanism set off by cutting three strings.

The machine was never used again and was sent for scrap during World War I.

The U.S. Army used shooting instead of its normal method of hanging from time to time and had a written protocol for “death by musketry,” as it was termed.

Two soldiers were shot at Shepton Mallet Prison in Somerset, England during World War II: Alex Miranda on May 30, 1944, and Benjamin Pyegate on November 28, 1944—both for murder.

Firing Squad in Utah

Historical Use and Legal Background

Under Utah law since 1852, the condemned man had the choice of shooting by firing squad (which complies with the Mormon doctrine of Blood Atonement) or hanging, with most prisoners choosing shooting.

Utah abolished hanging as an option and replaced it with lethal injection.

Prisoners condemned before May 3, 2004, who elected shooting, may still be put to death in this manner.

It is thought that there are four men who could, thus, potentially be shot.

Death sentences since then specify lethal injection as the sole method.

Between 1852 and 2010, there have been 50 legal executions in the state of Utah.

Of these, 41 have been by firing squad, five by hanging, and four by lethal injection.

Wallace Wilkerson (1879)

Wallace Wilkerson was condemned for the shooting murder of William Baxter on June 11, 1877.

His lawyers appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court in the fall of 1878, and it ruled in March 1879 that execution by shooting was not a cruel and unusual punishment under the 8th Amendment.

Ironically, Wilkerson’s execution was to be very cruel and unusual.

He was shot on May 16, 1879, and was not strapped to the chair; he also refused the blindfold.

The sheriff put a three-inch white target over Wilkerson’s heart, then withdrew and gave the signal to the firing squad, some 20 feet away.

Just as they fired, Wilkerson straightened up in the chair and the bullets missed his heart, one of them shattering his arm.

He fell forward and cried out:

“Oh, my God! My God! They have missed.”

It took 27 minutes before Wilkerson could be pronounced dead, as there was no provision for a coup de grâce in Utah law.

John Deering (1938)

One of Utah’s executions was unusual for two reasons.

Firstly, it was consensual, and secondly, the prisoner—39-year-old John Deering—agreed to have his execution monitored by an electrocardiograph.

He was shot on October 31, 1938.

The machine showed an increase in heart rate from 72 to 180 beats per minute during the preparation stage of the execution and that the heart continued to beat for almost 16 seconds after the bullets hit him.

According to the Chicago Tribune newspaper, he was certified dead 2½ minutes later.

Modern Firing Squad Executions

Gary Mark Gilmore (1977)

On Monday, January 17, 1977, Gary Mark Gilmore became the first person to be executed in the U.S. in nearly 10 years after campaigning to be allowed to die.

He had been convicted of the shooting murders of motel clerk Bennie Bushnell and gas station attendant Max Jensen.

At the time, Gilmore was on parole from a 12-year sentence for armed robbery. The 36-year-old chose shooting.

He was executed at 9:07 a.m. CST by five volunteers in the old canning factory on the grounds of Utah State Prison at Point of the Mountain, near Salt Lake City.

Winchester Model 94 lever-action repeating rifles were used, loaded with Winchester Silver Tip 150-grain .30-30 caliber cartridges.

Only four of the rifles were loaded with live ammunition; the fifth contained a blank round so the shooters would not know who fired the fatal shot.

Gilmore was tied to an old chair, had a white target pinned over his heart, and a black hood covering his face.

After the death warrant was read, he was asked if he had any last words. He famously replied:

“Let’s do it.”

Dr. Serge M. Moore, Utah’s Chief Medical Examiner, reported that all four bullets had hit Gilmore’s heart within two inches of each other and that he took two minutes to die.

Reporters observed movement for 15–20 seconds after the shots were fired, during which he continued breathing.

An autopsy was carried out afterward, and in accordance with Gilmore’s wishes, his corneas, pituitary gland, liver, and kidneys were donated for medical research.

His execution, which made headline news worldwide, restarted capital punishment in the USA and was graphically described in Norman Mailer’s book and subsequent film The Executioner’s Song.

John Albert Taylor (1996)

Nineteen years later, John Taylor became the second person to suffer the same fate.

Taylor, 36, was convicted of the 1988 rape and strangulation of 11-year-old Charla King and was executed on January 26, 1996, at 12:03 a.m. Mountain Time.

One of the nine media witnesses, Paul Murphy of KTVX-TV Salt Lake, described the scene:

“We saw this very large man strapped to a chair. His eyes were darting back and forth.”

He was restrained by his hands and feet to the dark blue painted execution chair.

He lifted his chin for Warden Hank Galetka to secure a strap around his neck and place the black hood over his head.

At 12:03 a.m., on the count of three, the five riflemen standing 23 feet away fired Winchester Model 94 rifles.

Four were loaded with a single Winchester Silver Tip 150-grain .30-30 bullet; the fifth contained a blank round.

The bullets were fired at a white cloth target pinned over Taylor’s heart.

Blood rapidly darkened the chest area of his navy blue clothing.

Four minutes later, a doctor pronounced him dead. Very little blood spilled into the pan under the chair’s mesh seat.

A witness noted:

“Taylor’s hands squeezed up, went down, and came up and squeezed again. His chest was covered with blood.”

A prison doctor cut holes in the hood to check his pupils and confirmed death at 12:07 a.m.

Warden Galetka remarked:

“It went like clockwork, just like we rehearsed. There was no hesitation at all. Taylor went to his death with steely determination, even though only hours before he had to be given medication because his stomach was doing flip-flops.”

Ronnie Lee Gardner (2010)

On Friday, June 18, 2010, Utah carried out its third modern firing squad execution.

Forty-nine-year-old Ronnie Lee Gardner was executed at the State Prison in Draper just after midnight.

Gardner was sentenced to death in 1985 for murdering attorney Michael Burdell while trying to escape from a Salt Lake City courthouse.

He was on trial for the 1984 shooting murder of barman Melvyn John Otterstrom.

Gardner also shot court bailiff George “Nick” Kirk, who died 11 years later as a result, according to his family. A female accomplice had smuggled the gun into court.

Wearing a dark blue jumpsuit, Gardner was led 90 feet from the observation cell to the death chamber.

He was strapped into the execution chair and put to death according to Utah’s protocol.

Asked if he had any last words, he responded:

“No, I do not. No.”

The firing squad leader counted down from five, and the squad fired on the word “two.”

Witnesses noted Gardner’s arm twitched momentarily after the volley at 12:15 a.m.

He was pronounced dead at 12:17 a.m.

Four bullet holes were visible in the wood panel behind the chair. Gardner was cooperative throughout the procedure.

Utah’s Protocol for Firing Squad Execution

The firing squad comprises six corrections officers: one squad leader and five shooters.

The procedure follows strict administrative and logistical steps:

Entry and Restraint: The inmate is brought into the execution chamber at 12:05 a.m. from the observation cell. Velcro restraints are applied to the arms, legs, and chest. A head restraint loosely holds the neck and head upright.
Target and Backstop: The inmate wears a dark blue boiler suit with a white cloth circle attached by Velcro over the heart. Sandbags behind the execution chair absorb the volley and prevent ricochets; dark sheets are draped over them.
Firing Enclosure: A partition 20 feet in front of the inmate includes firing ports and a shelf-like platform for rifle support.
Execution Command: Once the inmate is restrained, the warden asks if he has a final statement. Then, a black hood is placed over his head and the warden exits. On command, the shooters aim at the white circle and fire simultaneously.
Medical Pronouncement: A physician examines the inmate to determine death.

The average time from restraint to death determination is 8 to 10 minutes.

Authorized Witnesses Include:

Individuals selected by the offender;
The victim’s family;
Government witnesses;
Administrative staff (as determined by the prison’s executive director).

This execution methodology contrasts sharply with other capital technologies, such as the electric chair, the gas chamber, or nitrogen hypoxia, while highlighting long-standing debates regarding deterrence and the death penalty in the United States.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which states currently authorize execution by firing squad?

As of recent statutes, Utah, Oklahoma, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Idaho authorize the firing squad, either as an elected alternative or as a statutory backup should lethal injection chemicals become unavailable or ruled unconstitutional.

Why did Utah historically favor the firing squad?

Under 19th-century Utah territorial law, condemned prisoners could choose between hanging and shooting. Many chose shooting in accordance with the 19th-century Mormon concept of “Blood Atonement,” which held that shedding one’s own blood was necessary to atone for capital crimes.

How does the blind round work in a firing squad?

In a standard five-member civilian firing squad, four rifles are loaded with live .30-30 ammunition and one rifle is randomly loaded with a blank round. Because the cartridges are loaded without the shooters’ knowledge, each marksman retains plausible deniability regarding who fired the fatal shots.

Who was the last person executed by firing squad in the United States?

Ronnie Lee Gardner was the most recent person executed by firing squad in the United States, put to death at Utah State Prison in Draper on June 18, 2010.

What happened during the execution of Wallace Wilkerson in 1879?

Wallace Wilkerson refused restraints and a blindfold. When the volley was fired, he shifted his posture in the chair, causing the bullets to miss his heart. He suffered for 27 minutes before bleeding to death, as Utah law made no provision for a coup de grâce shot.

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