Tennessee pauses executions, will review lethal injections
By TRAVIS LOLLER and REBECCA REYNOLDS
Associated Press
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee is pausing executions for the rest of the year after the state failed to ensure that its lethal injection drugs were properly tested. The oversight forced Lee to abruptly halt the execution of Oscar Smith an hour before he was to die last month. Lee is pausing all executions to provide time for an independent review of Tennessee’s lethal injection process. Lee says former U.S. Attorney Ed Stanton will review the circumstances that led to the testing oversight. He will also review the clarity of the state’s execution manual and issues of staffing at the Tennessee Department of Correction.
