Oklahoma's attorney general says the state should delay all scheduled executions while it reviews how it received the wrong drug as it prepared to lethally inject an inmate.
RELATED: Governor's office answers questions about the state having the wrong drug
Attorney General Scott Pruitt filed paperwork Thursday asking the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals to halt next Wednesday's execution of Benjamin Cole, plus the executions of John Marion Grant, on Oct. 28, and Richard Glossip on Nov. 6.
Glossip was set to die Wednesday, but Gov. Mary Fallin halted the execution after the Department of Corrections said it had received a shipment of potassium acetate, rather than the potassium chloride listed in the state's protocols.
Pruitt said his office needs time to determine what went wrong Wednesday and whether the state's execution guidelines should be reviewed again.
COMPLETE COVERAGE: Executions in Oklahoma
Attorney General Pruitt issued this statement about the dely:
“The state owes it to the people of Oklahoma to ensure that, on their behalf, it can properly and lawfully administer the sentence of death imposed by juries for the most heinous crimes. Not until shortly before the scheduled execution did the Department of Corrections notify my office that it did not obtain the necessary drugs to carry out the execution in accordance with the protocol. Until my office knows more about these circumstances and gains confidence that DOC can carry out executions in accordance with the execution protocol, I am asking the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals to issue an indefinite stay of all scheduled executions. I am mindful of the families who have suffered an agonizing time through this process, and my heart breaks for them. At least three families have waited a combined 48 years for closure and finality after losing a loved one. Yet, they deserve to know, and all Oklahomans need to know with certainty, that the system is working as intended.”
READ: State's Notice and Request for Stay of Execution Dates
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