Indiana House Votes Down Firing Squad Execution Bill
STATEHOUSE –A proposal to allow execution by firing squad in Indiana failed to get enough votes in the House, but it could still come up for another vote before the Feb. 2 deadline. The plan would let the Department of Correction choose between lethal injection and a firing squad, and allow one journalist inside the execution chamber, which the state currently does not permit.
Lawmakers debated less about the method itself and more about whether Indiana should keep the death penalty at all. Opponents from both parties pointed to wrongful convictions and the state’s secretive process. Supporters say the change is needed because lethal‑injection drugs are becoming harder to obtain.
Indiana currently has five people on death row, one of whom has been ruled mentally incompetent for execution. Three more death penalty cases are pending, with one defendant also declared incompetent.
In recent years, the state executed three inmates: Joseph Corcoran in December 2024, Benjamin Ritchie in May 2025, and Roy Lee Ward in October 2025.
The proposal is stalled for now but could return for another vote before the deadline.
