Imagine if they DID “have the facilities” to kill him by firing squad. They’d spend 45 minutes trying to figure out how to load their rifles, kill a few members of the squad by mistake, then proceed to graze this guy a half dozen times if they were lucky. Idaho. Famous potato-heads.
The execution of Thomas Creech scheduled for Wednesday morning was canceled at 11 a.m. Idaho Department of Correction director Josh Tewalt determined the execution could not happen because the medical team could not establish an IV line.
In a news conference, Tewalt said the medical team did a physical assessment of Creech this morning and believed they would be able to establish IV access. When Creech was in the execution room, Tewalt said the team tried eight times through multiple limbs and appendages to establish that access.
Witnesses from news media said the medical team began trying to get IV access at 10:13 a.m. and it went on for around 45 minutes.
Idaho law allows for execution by lethal injection and firing squad, but Tewalt said the state does not have the facilities to carry out a firing squad style execution at this time.
Creech has been returned to his cell in the F block. Tewalt said that they will allow the death warrant to expire and there is currently no idea for a time frame or next steps moving forward in regards to the execution and death warrant, but that will be discussed in the days ahead.
Using language like “the medical team” is disingenuous. Actual healthcare professionals would be violating their oaths if they were to participate in lethal injections like this. Sometimes states can find healthcare professionals willing to take on the job despite their oaths, but typically, it’s corrections officers that get tasked with trying to cosplay as healthcare professionals in these scenarios.