Lethal Injection, Nitrogen and Firing Squads: How US States Carry Out Executions | ChatZyr

A failed lethal-injection execution in Tennessee has renewed scrutiny of execution procedures in the United States after death-row prisoner Christa Pike survived two doses of execution drugs on September 30.

Pike was taken to hospital after the procedure failed to cause her death. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee subsequently suspended executions in the state for the remainder of 2026 and ordered an investigation into what happened. Reuters reported that Pike remains under medical care.

How executions are carried out

Lethal injection remains the most widely used execution method in the United States. According to the Death Penalty Information Center, 47 people were executed across 11 states in 2025. Of those executions, 39 were carried out by lethal injection.

Nitrogen gas and firing squads were also used in 2025. Alabama and Louisiana carried out executions using nitrogen gas, while South Carolina conducted three executions by firing squad, the first such executions in the country since 2010.

Several other methods remain authorized under state laws. The Death Penalty Information Center currently lists lethal injection as authorized in 28 states, electrocution in nine, lethal gas in nine and firing squads in five. Authorization does not mean that a method is routinely used, as many states designate alternative methods only under particular legal or practical circumstances.

Why states use different methods

The availability of execution drugs has become an important issue for states that rely on lethal injection. Pharmaceutical companies have generally sought to prevent their products from being used in executions, contributing to difficulties obtaining some drugs and encouraging several states to authorize alternative methods.

In 2025, South Carolina carried out three firing-squad executions, while Alabama and Louisiana used nitrogen gas. The methods have generated continuing legal and public scrutiny.

Failed executions

Execution procedures have occasionally encountered serious complications.

Tennessee's latest case is particularly notable because Pike survived after receiving two doses of lethal-injection drugs. The Tennessee Department of Correction said its protocol was followed, while officials have not yet established publicly why the procedure failed. Governor Lee ordered an independent review and halted further executions in the state for the rest of 2026.

Other methods have also faced scrutiny. The Death Penalty Information Center reported that an autopsy following South Carolina's 2025 firing-squad execution of Mikal Mahdi indicated that the shooters apparently missed the intended target area of his heart.

Nitrogen-gas executions have also drawn attention. In its review of 2025 executions, the Death Penalty Information Center reported visible physical movements during several nitrogen-gas executions, while officials maintained that the procedures had been conducted according to protocol.

The Tennessee investigation is expected to provide further information about the failed procedure and could influence how the state reviews its execution protocols.

Published on Chatzyr.net

Written By Editorial Desk | Team ChatZyr

Disclaimer: This report is based on publicly available information from established news organizations, government statements and the Death Penalty Information Center. Descriptions of execution procedures and reported complications are presented for factual and news-reporting purposes. Details surrounding the Tennessee incident remain subject to the ongoing investigation.