Tyler Robinson Could Face Firing Squad If Convicted of Killing Charlie Kirk, Here's How It Works

[00:00] Tyler James Robinson has been formally

[00:02] charged in connection with the fatal

[00:03] shooting of conservative influencer

[00:05] Charlie Kirk and could potentially face

[00:07] the firing squad if convicted. Attorney

[00:10] General Pam Bondi previously said she

[00:12] expects prosecutors to seek the death

[00:14] penalty, which she described as very

[00:17] real in Utah, noting that the state is

[00:19] allowed to use firing squads to carry

[00:21] out executions.

[00:23] During Robinson's first court

[00:24] appearance, the prosecution said that it

[00:26] had filed notice of their intent to seek

[00:28] the death penalty in the case.

[00:30] >> Just for the court's information, we did

[00:31] file just recently, within the last few

[00:33] minutes, a notice of intent to seek the

[00:35] death penalty that was filed u by Utah

[00:38] County Attorney Jeff Gray.

[00:40] >> So, how does death by firing squad work

[00:42] in the US? Here's everything you need to

[00:44] know.

[00:46] Most recently, a prisoner in South

[00:48] Carolina was put to death by firing on

[00:50] April 11th. Although much of the process

[00:52] used to kill male mi remains a secret,

[00:55] according to a report by USA Today,

[00:58] which obtained South Carolina Department

[00:59] of Corrections execution protocols, it

[01:02] involved a threeperson firing squad in

[01:05] which three bullets were aimed at his

[01:07] heart. Prisoners facing death by firing

[01:09] squad are restrained in a metal chair by

[01:11] the ankles, arms, and waist. In South

[01:14] Carolina, the chair is in the same room

[01:16] as the state's electric chair. A hood is

[01:18] placed over the prisoner's head and a

[01:20] white square with a red bullseye is

[01:22] placed over the heart by a doctor. A

[01:25] curtain is then opened revealing the

[01:26] witnesses which might include family,

[01:28] media, and lawyers who will watch the

[01:31] process through bulletproof glass. A

[01:33] final statement might be read by the

[01:34] prisoner's lawyer or an official from

[01:37] the prison before a shade is opened,

[01:39] revealing the shooters, who are lined up

[01:41] 15 ft away from the prisoner. Three

[01:44] voluntary members of the prison staff

[01:46] make up the firing squad in South

[01:47] Carolina. Their names and training are

[01:49] kept secret. They are all given

[01:51] high-powered rifles with live rounds.

[01:54] According to USA Today, the three

[01:55] shooters are hidden behind a wall with

[01:58] holes in it for the weapons to peek

[01:59] through. Without a countdown or warning

[02:01] for witnesses, the squad then opens

[02:04] fire. A short time later, a doctor comes

[02:06] out to pronounce the prisoner dead.

[02:08] Information about what would happen if

[02:10] the prisoner survives the shots has not

[02:12] been released to the public. How humane

[02:15] death by firing squad is remains up for

[02:17] debate, but there is some growing

[02:19] consensus that it might be better than

[02:21] lethal injection, which can be botched

[02:23] and takes a longer amount of time. The

[02:25] bullets are designed to shatter when

[02:27] they hit something like a rib cage,

[02:28] which is supposed to quickly demolish

[02:30] the heart. If done correctly, that means

[02:32] a rapid loss of consciousness and quick

[02:35] or even near instantaneous death. Of

[02:38] course, much of it depends upon the aim

[02:39] of the shooters and that nothing else

[02:41] goes wrong.

[02:44] According to NPR, an autopsy showed that

[02:46] the bullets aimed at the heart of Mikuel

[02:48] Motti missed, which a pathologist told

[02:51] the outlet meant that the prisoner

[02:52] experienced excruciating conscious pain

[02:55] and suffered for about 30 to 60 seconds

[02:58] after the shots were fired.