South Carolina to carry out first firing squad execution in nearly 15 years
Illustrative photo: Lethal injection chamber at San Quentin State Prison (Getty Images)
South Carolina will conduct its first-ever firing squad execution on March 7 - the first in the US in 15 years - after 67-year-old Brad Sigmon chose this method over lethal injection or the electric chair, reports NBC-News.
Sigmon was sentenced to death in 2002 for killing his ex-girlfriend’s parents. His lawyer, Gerald “Bo” King, says the condemned man faced a terrible decision.
“He made the best choice he could, but the fact that he had to choose at all is horrifying,” King said.
Sigmon refused lethal injection due to concerns over the drug’s use in recent executions. In the latest case in South Carolina, an inmate given a lethal dose of pentobarbital died with severely swollen lungs, resembling drowning. His legal team argues the state must disclose more information about the drug’s quality and administration.
However, prosecutors insist that by choosing the firing squad, Sigmon has waived any right to contest lethal injection.
Since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976, only three executions by firing squad have taken place, all in Utah, the last occurring in 2010. With South Carolina reviving this rarely used method, the upcoming execution could mark a turning point in America’s ongoing debate over the death penalty.
How the execution is carried out
The execution squad consists of volunteer prison employees who will fire from 15 feet (about 4.5 meters) away at Sigmon, who will be seated with a hood over his head and a target on his heart.
“When a bullet hits the heart, consciousness is lost immediately, and there’s almost no pain,” said forensic expert D’Michelle DuPre. However, Randy Gardner, whose brother was the last person executed by firing squad in the US, warns of the brutality involved. “I saw my brother’s body. His socks were soaked in blood. It won’t be pretty in South Carolina,” he said.
