STARK, Fla. — A man who shot two individuals in a revenge attack outside a Florida bar is set to be executed on Tuesday. This marks the 26th execution in the United States this year.
This year, 25 men have already been executed, matching figures from both 2024 and 2018. In 2015, executions reached 28 in total.
Michael Bernard Bell, 54, is expected to receive a lethal injection at the Florida State Prison near Stark, barring any last-minute changes.
Convicted in 1995, Bell was sentenced to death for the murders of Jimmy West and Tamecca Smith.
He will be the eighth person executed in Florida this year, with another execution anticipated later this month.
Last year, Florida executed six individuals, one of which was carried out in December.
So far this year, Florida has led the nation in executions, while Texas and South Carolina follow behind. Alabama executed three individuals, while Oklahoma and several other states each had two.
According to court documents, in December 1993, Bell mistakenly believed he found the car of the man responsible for his brother’s death earlier that year.
Unbeknownst to Bell, the car had been sold and was no longer with the shooter.
Bell, armed with an AK-47 and accompanied by two friends, located the car parked outside a liquor lounge and lay in wait.
When West, Smith, and another woman left the bar, Bell opened fire, resulting in West’s death at the scene and Smith’s passing en route to the hospital.
Other individuals were also injured, and witnesses reported that Bell fired into a crowd before fleeing. He was apprehended the following year.
In addition to his current charges, he was later convicted of three other murders.
In 1989, Bell fatally shot a woman and her infant son, also killing the mother’s boyfriend just months prior to the attacks on West and Smith.
Bell’s legal team has filed appeals with both the Florida Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing that his execution should be delayed due to new witness testimony.
However, a judge rejected this argument last week, citing substantial evidence of Bell’s guilt in a 54-page decision.
A similar petition was submitted to the U.S. Supreme Court, although a ruling has yet to be issued.
