Tennessee’s prisons chief is resigning after failed execution of Christa Pike

The head of Tennessee’s prison system is resigning after the failed execution of Christa Pike. The announcement was made Saturday by Gov. Bill Lee, who calls the circumstances a “difficult moment.” Tennessee Department of Correction Commissioner Frank Strada says stepping aside is in the best interests of the state as a review looks at why Pike’s execution failed Wednesday. Pike’s lawyers say she was placed on a ventilator and was unconscious in a hospital. The lawyers say medical staff were trying to clear two doses of a drug that the state uses to execute prisoners.