New law makes inmates choose electric chair or firing squad

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster has signed into law a bill that forces death row inmates to choose between the electric chair or a newly formed firing squad in hopes the state can restart executions after an involuntary 10-year pause. The governor signed the bill Friday without fanfare. South Carolina had been one of the most prolific states of its size in putting inmates to death. But a lack of lethal injection drugs brought executions to a halt. Prosecutors said three inmates have exhausted all their normal appeals. Lawyers for death row inmates say they’re considering suing to stop executions under the new law.