An Indiana lawmaker has introduced legislation that would authorize execution by firing squad under specific circumstances, expanding the state’s options for carrying out the death penalty.
Senate Bill 11, authored by Sen. Michael Young (R-Indianapolis), is scheduled for its first reading Monday and will be assigned to the Senate Committee on Corrections and Criminal Law. The proposal would take effect July 1, 2026, if passed.
The bill comes amid continuing nationwide struggles with lethal injection drug shortages and ongoing legal disputes over execution protocols.
Under the measure, the Indiana Department of Correction (IDOC) could use a firing squad if officials determine—at least 30 days before a scheduled execution—that they cannot obtain one or more of the drugs needed for lethal injection. The bill also allows a death-row inmate to request execution by firing squad, provided the request is submitted at least 30 days before the execution date.
The firing squad would consist of five IDOC officers selected by the state prison warden. Four rifles would be loaded with live ammunition, while one would contain a blank round. The identities of all participating officers, along with anyone eligible to serve, would remain confidential.
Indiana resumed executions in 2024, with three inmates—Joseph Corcoran, Benjamin Ritchie, and Roy Lee Ward—put to death. Ward was executed by lethal injection on Oct. 10.
Only seven executions by firing squad have taken place in the U.S. since 1960: four in Utah (1977, 1996, 2010) and three in South Carolina earlier this year.