US emergency call records reveal confusion after failed execution of Christa Pike
Emergency call records from Tennessee reveal significant confusion among prison staff following a botched lethal injection execution of Christa Pike. Pike survived the attempt, marking a rare and legally complex case that has sparked debate over execution protocols.
Why it matters
The incident highlights systemic failures in capital punishment procedures and raises ethical and legal questions about the state's ability to carry out executions humanely.
Figure caption, Watch: What newly released emergency calls tell us about Christa Pike's botched execution
Emergency call records have revealed the confusion that developed among prison staff and emergency call handlers after the execution of convicted murderer Christa Pike went wrong last month in Tennessee.
Pike, 50, who killed Colleen Slemmer alongside her then-boyfriend in 1995, was given two doses of lethal injection on 30 September. Once it became clear that she was not going to die from the dosage, she was taken to hospital.
The confusion resulted in part from an apparent disconnect between prison staff, according to the AP news agency, which first obtained audio of the emergency calls.
This allegedly delayed Pike's treatment. The BBC has asked the state corrections department for comment.
Also covering this story
6 other newsrooms covered this event. We read each version separately.
Tennessee dismissed red flags leading up to botched execution
Emergency help was delayed after failed execution of Christa Pike, 911 calls reveal
Emergency help for Christa Pike was delayed by confusion after failed execution, 911 calls reveal
Officials release 911 calls and transcripts of death row inmate Christa Pike's botched execution
Emergency calls from botched Christa Pike execution released to US media
911 call transcript from botched Christa Pike execution released
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