South Carolina Executes Inmate by Firing Squad, First U.S. Use Since 2010

Brad Sigmon, convicted of a double murder, chose firing squad over alternatives he described as torturous.

Brad Sigmon, 67, was executed by a three-person firing squad in South Carolina on March 7, marking the first U.S. use of this method since 2010.
Sigmon was convicted in 2002 for killing his ex-girlfriend's parents with a baseball bat and attempting to abduct her.
He opted for the firing squad, citing fears of prolonged suffering from lethal injection or being burned alive in the electric chair.
Witnesses described the execution as swift but violent, with Sigmon declared dead three minutes after the shots were fired.
The execution highlights ongoing debates over the death penalty in the U.S., with 23 states having abolished it and others resuming controversial methods.