A South Carolina inmate, Brad Sigmon, was executed by firing squad on Friday night, making it the state’s first use of this method since it was legalized in 2021. This execution method is controversial and considered by many to be inhumane.
Brad Sigmon, aged 67, chose to die by firing squad after being convicted in 2001 for the murders of his ex-girlfriend’s parents. He also attempted to kidnap her, holding her at gunpoint, but she managed to escape. During that incident, he fired at her as she fled but missed.
His execution occurred at 6 p.m. ET, and he was pronounced dead just eight minutes later. Governor Henry McMaster denied Sigmon’s request for clemency, a decision consistent with the past 49 years where no governor in South Carolina has granted such requests since the death penalty was reinstated. Additionally, the South Carolina Supreme Court rejected Sigmon’s appeal to delay the execution, which he argued was due to insufficient knowledge about lethal injection alternatives.
Firing squad executions are extremely rare in the United States. Since 1976, only three such executions had taken place prior to Sigmon, all in Utah. His execution marked the first by gunfire in the U.S. in over 15 years. Sigmon’s attorney noted that while he recognized a firing squad execution would be brutal, he believed it was a preferable option. He feared that electrocution could burn him alive, and lethal injection could lead to a prolonged and painful death, as seen in previous executions in South Carolina.
During a firing squad execution, the inmate is typically bound to a chair facing a wall, with a group of shooters positioned about 20 feet away. They often have their last words before the execution. Sandbags are used to prevent ricocheting bullets, and the inmate usually dies from significant blood loss.
Firing squads have a historical execution rate of 0%, making them noteworthy for their lack of botched incidents. Comparatively, lethal injection has a higher failure rate. The last firing squad execution before Sigmon’s was Ronnie Lee Gardner in 2010, who died just two minutes after being shot.
Currently, five states allow executions by firing squad under certain conditions: Idaho, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Utah. Each state has its own regulations about when this method can be used, often depending on the availability of other execution methods.
- Idaho: Firing squad used if lethal injection is unavailable.
- Mississippi: Corrections officials can choose from multiple methods, including firing squad.
- Oklahoma: Firing squad authorized if other methods are deemed unconstitutional or unavailable.
- South Carolina: Inmates can choose from firing squad, lethal injection, or electrocution.
- Utah: Firing squad is the fallback method if lethal injection drugs are not available.
As discussions continue around the methods and ethics of capital punishment, Sigmon’s case may reignite debates about the future of such practices in the United States.
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Source linkfiring squad, South Carolina, South Carolina Supreme Court, Department of Corrections, lethal injection, Brad Sigmon, execution method, Gerald King
