By Kevin Fixler
The Idaho Statesman
BOISE, Idaho — Idaho’s prison system is pursuing a remote-operated system for firing squad executions as the state builds toward becoming the first in the U.S. with it as the primary method for carrying out the death penalty.
The state’s execution chamber at the prison complex south of Boise is under construction to accommodate shooting condemned prisoners to death by next summer. A new law that prioritizes a firing squad goes into effect starting July 2026. Lethal injection will remain the backup option.
But the Idaho Department of Correction aims to limit direct participation from correctional officers, agency spokesperson Blake Lopez told the Idaho Statesman.
“We have not yet procured a remote-operated system but are actively exploring available options,” he said by email. “A remote-operated system is preferred, as it would allow executions by firing squad to be carried out with minimal involvement from our staff.”
Rep. Bruce Skaug, R- Nampa, who sponsored the bill that sets up the state’s transition to a firing squad, told the Idaho Statesman he has concerns that remote-operated firearms could falter the day of an execution. He advocated for the new execution method after Idaho prison officials were unable to execute a prisoner for the very first time, by lethal injection, in 2024.
“That’s just one more thing that could go awry if the button doesn’t work on the mechanical portion,” Skaug said in a phone interview. “But my understanding is that there will be a backup firing squad — old-school with rifles ready to go — if there’s something that mechanically fails.”
IDOC has yet to release its formal procedures for performing a firing squad execution, and also declined to offer specifics at this time. But prison leadership is reviewing the procedures followed by other states that have the method, Lopez said.
Four other states allow shooting prisoners to death, but until this year, a firing squad execution hadn’t taken place in the U.S. in nearly 15 years. South Carolina has put prisoners to death by firing squad twice in 2025.
South Carolina’s protocol is not public. But according to media witness accounts, three riflemen stand 10 feet away from the condemned prisoner who is strapped to a chair. A hood is placed over the prisoner’s head and a white target with a red bull’s-eye on their heart. Without notice or a countdown, the shooters open fire, and each of them shoots a single round at the target.
Idaho’s protocol will call for keeping prison staff from needing to volunteer for the firing squad if it can be avoided, IDOC Director Bree Derrick told the Statesman.
“If direct staff involvement in the process becomes necessary, we would seek assistance from law enforcement personnel who are specifically trained and psychologically equipped for such responsibilities,” Derrick said in an emailed statement.
All executions were temporarily suspended in Idaho while the state constructs the firing squad chamber. A federal injunction against carrying out the death penalty in Idaho also is in place after three news outlets, including the Statesman, sued IDOC for improved access to the room where lethal injection drugs are prepared and administered during an execution.
The chamber’s construction at the maximum security prison started in late May and is expected to last between six and nine months. The area is being demolished until November and should be built by early next year, well before the law to use the firing squad takes effect, Lopez said.
“Barring any construction delays, we anticipate our execution team will have adequate time to train and prepare prior to firing squad becoming the primary method of execution on July 1,” Lopez said.
Skaug said he spoke with Derrick and other prison staff getting trained, who told him they’re “ready to go already.”
“She assures me everything is on track to be in place for operation at the time our law goes into effect,” he said.
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