Tony Carruthers’ execution stopped after officials say medics couldn’t set up a backup IV line

Tony Carruthers’ execution was called off Thursday and he was given a one-year reprieve after the state Department of Corrections struggled to find a vein to set a backup injection line.“Medical personnel quickly established a primary IV line; however, the team was unable to immediately establish a backup line pursuant to the lethal injection execution protocol,” a statement from the Tennessee Department of Correction said

Tony Carruthers’ execution was called off Thursday and he was given a one-year reprieve after the state Department of Corrections struggled to find a vein to set a backup injection line.

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“Medical personnel quickly established a primary IV line; however, the team was unable to immediately establish a backup line pursuant to the lethal injection execution protocol,” a statement from the Tennessee Department of Correction said.

In a statement, Gov. Bill Lee said he was granting Carruthers reprieve from execution for a year.