In brief
Amid rising concerns over failures in lethal injection, the U.S. has re‑enabled several traditional and experimental execution methods. The first firing squad execution since 1945 is planned for the Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan, after Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth announced a livestream. States are also turning to the electric chair, nitrogen gas and other techniques after botched executions, sparked by the 2024 Christa Pike case and driven by the Trump administration’s hardening of capital punishment policy.
Why the U.S. is bringing back firing squads
Warning: this story contains upsetting descriptions of executions
America's use of the death penalty is under the spotlight again after US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the military would livestream the execution by firing squad of Nidal Hasan, the former Army psychiatrist who killed 13 unarmed soldiers at Fort Hood in 2009.
Hasan’s execution would be the first firing‑squad execution by the U.S. Army in over 80 years, a method that several states already allow. It follows a high‑profile failure of lethal injection on Christa Pike, a woman convicted of murdering her classmate.
Pike was released from a failed execution, having recovered after a painful and messy attempt that highlighted the current problems with lethal injection.
In the wake of these botched executions and a federal push for the death penalty, the United States has begun to re‑enable old and new methods, including firing squads, the electric chair, nitrogen gas and the gas chamber.
Botched executions
For the last half‑century, lethal injection has been the dominant execution method in the United States. According to the Death Penalty Information Center, 64 executions have been botched, 51 of them lethal injections, out of 1,683 executions in total.
Experts say each method has the potential for severe pain when it goes wrong. Missteps often stem from insufficient training, expired drugs or improperly stored medication. “There is always the risk of a mistake because humans are involved,” said Robin Maher of the Death Penalty Information Center.
A ‘myth’ of peaceful lethal injections
Dr Joel Zivot, a professor of anaesthesiology, explained that lethal injection was chosen because it looked peaceful, but the reality is far more brutal. Pulmonary oedema can give prisoners the painful sensation of drowning, while conditions like Pike’s thrombocytosis can make the process even more tragic.
During Pike’s failed execution, her lawyers reported graphic evidence of crying and loud breathing. Maher notes that the core issues—lack of training, expired drugs and experimental drug mixes—have remained consistent over the decades.
New methods like nitrogen gas
States have begun to experiment with nitrogen gas after repeated lethal‑injection failures. Alabama and Louisiana have used it, while Arkansas, Mississippi and Oklahoma allow its use. In 2024, Alabama executed Kenneth Smith with nitrogen after a botched injection attempt; the procedure lasted 25 minutes and caused severe distress.
Doctors warn that nitrogen gas can induce seizures and that the process looks “a horror show of struggling.”
A return to the electric chair
While some states are exploring new methods, others have authorized the electric chair. Nine states now allow it, with South Carolina using it as the default. Historical failures, such as Pedro Medina’s “flaming” death in 1997, highlight the dangers.
Firearms have also been re‑adopted: Idaho became the first state to use a firing squad as its primary method after lethal‑injection problems. U.S. Soldier Alonzo Lunsford, who survived the Fort Hood attack, called a firing squad “befitting.”
The Trump factor
Trump’s return to the office in 2025 reinstated the federal death penalty, which had been halted in 2021. He has called for broader use to punish drug traffickers and law‑breakers, encouraging state legislatures to re‑authorize other execution methods.
When asked whether Pike’s failed attempt should prompt reform, Trump said execution methods should not be “very difficult.”
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