South Carolina Inmate Chooses Firing Squad for Execution, First in State's Modern History

Brad Keith Sigmon, convicted of a 2001 double murder, is set to face execution on March 7 under a controversial method revived due to lethal injection drug shortages.

Brad Keith Sigmon, 67, opted for execution by firing squad, citing concerns over the cruelty of other available methods, including lethal injection and the electric chair.
This will be the first firing squad execution in South Carolina and the fourth in the U.S. since 1976, with the last occurring in Utah in 2010.
South Carolina renovated its execution chamber in 2022 to accommodate firing squads after struggling to obtain lethal injection drugs, spending approximately $54,000 on upgrades.
Sigmon's attorneys argue he was mentally ill during the 2001 murders and claim the execution methods available in the state are inhumane and barbaric.
The state Supreme Court denied a delay in Sigmon's execution, and his last remaining hope lies in clemency from Governor Henry McMaster, though no South Carolina governor has granted clemency in nearly 50 years.