A man on death row in South Carolina has until 6 September to decide how he would prefer to be executed by the state.

South Carolina’s prisons director has declared the state’s supply of a lethal injection drug acceptable and said its electric chair was tested two months ago and its firing squad has the ammunition and training to carry out its first execution next month in more than 13 years, if needed.

Corrections director Bryan Stirling was ordered by the state supreme court to submit a sworn statement to the lawyer for Freddie Owens certifying that all three methods of putting a prisoner to death are available for his scheduled 20 September execution.

Owens’s lawyers have said they will review the statement, and if they do not think it is adequate, they will ask the state supreme court or federal judges to consider it.

Owens, 46, was sentenced in 1999 for shooting and killing Irene Graves, a gas station employee in Greenville during a robbery in 1997.

Owens has until 6 September to decide how he wants to die, and he signed his power of attorney over to his lawyer, Emily Paavola, to make that decision for him. The state supreme court has agreed to a request from the prison system to see if that is allowed under South Carolina law.

The power of attorney was signed under the name Khalil Divine Black Sun Allah. Owens changed his name in prison but goes by his old name in his legal hearings with the state to avoid confusion.

In the sworn statement, Stirling said technicians at the state Law Enforcement Division laboratory tested two vials of the sedative pentobarbital, which the state plans to use for lethal injections.

Stirling released no other details about the drugs under the guidelines of the state’s new shield law, which keeps secret the name of the supplier of the drug and anyone who helps carry out the execution. The law’s passage in 2023 also helped restart executions so the state could buy pentobarbital and keep the supplier private.

The state’s electric chair, built in 1912, was tested 25 June and found to be working properly, Stirling wrote, without providing additional details.

The firing squad, allowed by a 2021 law, has the guns, ammunition and training it needs, Stirling wrote. Three volunteers have been trained to fire at a target placed on the heart from 15ft away.

In South Carolina, the governor, Henry McMaster, has the ability to grant clemency to an individual on death row. However, no governor has done so in the state’s past 43 executions, the Associated Press reports, adding that McMaster told reporters on Tuesday that he would only announce his decision minutes before the execution when prison officials dial his office from the death chamber.

“When the rule of law has been followed, there really is only one answer,” McMaster said.

In response to McMaster’s comments, Hillary Taylor, executive director of South Carolinians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, said: “Just because something is law does not mean that it is justice. Justice would actually be making sure that we interrupt and prevent violence from happening in the first place, not execute somebody who’s been on death row for decades.”

Earlier this week, Taylor’s organization circulated a petition for clemency from McMaster, which has garnered more than 1,300 signatures.

“Khalil Allah … is somebody who experienced profound trauma as a child [and] as an adolescent, both in terms of his family of origin and also the South Carolina judicial system … We do not believe that Khalil should be executed for things that are our fault as a society,” said Taylor.

Calling the death penalty “cheap justice”, Taylor added: “We would literally be better spending money on protecting children and creating more victim services for people who are experiencing violence and harm … The death penalty doesn’t do any of that.”

Taylor also pushed back on the conservative state’s so-called “pro-life” stance on reproductive rights, particularly its six-week abortion ban amid the backdrop of its death penalty law.

“There are government officials in South Carolina who like to brag that South Carolina is an extremely pro-life state, and if indeed all lives matter, then Khalil’s life especially matters because of the ways that he has been let down. He does not deserve to be cut off from this life. He deserves to live,” she said.

The South Carolina chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has also condemned the death penalty, with executive director Jace Woodrum saying: “The state is preparing to kill one of our neighbors under a shroud of secrecy. Politicians and prison officials have not only hidden key details about all three execution methods, but they have refused to allow media interviews with people held on death row as they make their last pleas for clemency. We are joining faith leaders, civil rights leaders, and people of good conscience around our state calling on governor McMaster to stop this execution and all others.”

The Guardian has asked the governor’s office for comment.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.

In 2021, Erin Thumann, her sister, Ellie, and their mom planned a girls trip along the southeastern coast of the United States. “We wanted to visit all the Nicholas Sparks movie locations,” Thumann says. “My sister was filming a YouTube video, I was posting on my socials, and it was just so fun to show all of these different spots.” Eventually, they made their way to Charleston, South Carolina. Little did they know, as they explored the Colonial buildings and sandy coastlines, they weren’t just touring the city where The Notebook was filmed, but also their future home.

“A couple of years later, my sister visited Charleston again with some friends, and I remember so vividly she called me, saying, ‘We have to move here. We loved it when we came; we have to move.’ So I planned a trip out, got off the plane, and ended up signing a lease that day because it just felt so right.”

The Thumann sisters, who are originally from Arizona, are among a number of content creators—mostly young women—who have moved to the South Carolina city in recent years. “I’ve definitely noticed an increase in influencers in the city,” says Sarah Baus, a TikToker and content creator from Charleston. “There are some content creators from the blogger era, but as far as the new social media influencer and TikToker, we really didn’t have those until probably the last four years. It’s been a pretty steady incline ever since, and a lot of them are from out of town.”

A decade ago, when the modern influencer industry was taking shape, it was logical for burgeoning internet personalities to move to Los Angeles or New York where it was easier to make connections and become noticed by talent agencies and other decision makers. “With the rise of TikTok, anyone can go viral from their Midwest bedroom, and it has really leveled the playing field,” says Clara Peirce, a TikToker and YouTuber who moved from Raleigh, North Carolina, to Charleston last year.

Although self-employed content creators have generally had more career flexibility than those in other industries, this has only increased in recent years. “You no longer have to live in these entertainment cities to be successful or noticed by brands,” Peirce adds. “In my opinion, it’s diminished that pressure.”

Unlike California and New York, South Carolina is rarely a business move, but rather an opportunity given the nature of this business. “I wouldn’t say that myself or any of the people that I’ve met who moved to Charleston did so for a strategic purpose,” Peirce says. “I don’t think people move here solely thinking it will be good for their career.”

Indeed, most of the creators who spoke with AD shared stories of enduring love affairs with the city: They spoke of childhood summer vacations or frequent trips with friends during long weekends. For many, living in Charleston has been a life-long desire. The ever increasing flexibility in the content industry has made that dream an easier reality.

South Carolina coordinators met with the media on Wednesday as they prepare for the 2024 season. Offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains took the time to speak on the team’s game one opponent as well as a new rule change in college football.

Along with adding in-helmet communications in the offseason, one of the biggest changes in college football this season will be the addition of the two minute warning in the second and fourth quarters. While some teams will be new to this idea, coach Loggains has a leg up on the competition due to his NFL experience.

“Situations you handle pre-two minute and post-two minute that’ll be a little different, obviously it’ll give you another built in time out,” Coach Loggains said about the new rule. “There are strategies before and after two minute that come into play here, that I don’t want to talk about in too much detail.”

Outside of worrying about two minute strategies, the Gamecocks have to keep an eye on the Old Dominion’s defense this week. Last season the Monarchs ran a lot of three safety looks, but their best player was arguably senior linebacker (LB) Jason Henderson.

Henderson’s ability to make plays and force turnovers is what made him a great player for Old Dominion last season. Fortunately for South Carolina, they have what it takes to prepare for someone with Henderson’s abilities.

“Good thing for us through spring ball and training camp we get to go against Debo [Williams] every day. There are some similarities with how hard these guys play, how relentless they are, don’t stop, Freddy Krueger type guys that won’t die. 42 [Old Dominion LB Jason Henderson] does a great job of not just making tackles, he’s going after the ball as well. He’s a heck of a football player,” Coach Loggains praises Old Dominion senior LB Jason Henderson.

The first game will be a test for coaches all across college football with the installation of the two minute period, in helmet communications, and more. It’s a task Gamecocks players and coaches seem be ready for this weekend.

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