A death row inmate in South Carolina will be executed this Friday by firing squad, marking the first case of this kind in the United States in the last fifteen years and the first in the state’s history. Brad Sigmon, the condemned, has chosen this method of execution, as permitted by South Carolina law, which also includes the electric chair and lethal injection as options.
Sigmon initially preferred lethal injection; however, after learning about potential complications and citing previous execution cases, he decided to change his choice to firing squad. This is an uncommon method, as only the states of Idaho, Utah, Mississippi, and Oklahoma, in addition to South Carolina, provide for this form of execution, with Utah being the only state to have applied it since 1977.
During the execution ceremony, three members of the firing squad will stand behind a wall with rifles in hand, while the condemned will be strapped to a chair wearing a hood, with a mark on the heart indicating where the executors should aim. The order to fire will be given with the shout of 'Fire!'.
Brad Sigmon was convicted of murdering his ex-girlfriend's parents in 2001, as well as kidnapping and attempting to murder the young woman herself. The execution by firing squad will be an unprecedented event in the recent history of South Carolina and the entire country.
