Oct. 31 (UPI) — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on Wednesday postponed executions until next year amid a shortage of lethal injection drugs.
He rescheduled the execution of James Hanna from Dec. 11 to July 16 and Kareem Jackson from Jan. 16 to Sept. 16.
It’s unclear when executions will resume in Ohio. The state is next scheduled to carry out a lethal injection on Feb. 12, with that of Melvin Bonnell.
Ohio has had difficulty securing supplies of the three drugs it uses in its lethal injection protocol — midazolam, potassium chloride, and either vecuronium bromide, pancuronium bromide or rocuronium bromide. Companies have refused to sell the drugs to the state for use in executions.
Ohio previously instituted a three-year moratorium on executions in 2014 after the family of Dennis McGuire sued over his lengthy execution during which he could be heard gasping for breath. The state used an untested two-drug lethal injection protocol to kill McGuire.
