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A South Carolina death row inmate, Brad Sigmon, has chosen to be executed by firing squad. If the execution proceeds as scheduled on March 7, it will mark the first time in 15 years that capital punishment in the United States is carried out by gunfire.

Sigmon, 67, is among several inmates facing execution as South Carolina revives its capital punishment program after a 13-year hiatus.

 Under state law, death row inmates must choose between the electric chair, lethal injection, or firing squad. If they do not select a method, the default is electrocution.

Murder Case and Legal Appeals

Sigmon was convicted for the 2001 murders of his ex-girlfriend’s parents. During his trial, he admitted guilt, but his attorneys have argued that his actions were influenced by a childhood marred by physical abuse, neglect, and undiagnosed mental illness.

His lawyers filed a petition on Thursday to halt the execution, contending that his original defense counsel failed to present critical evidence of his trauma and mental illness. They also raised concerns over South Carolina’s lethal injection procedures and the secrecy surrounding the drugs used in executions.

Sigmon’s attorneys stated that the South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC) should disclose essential details about the drugs’ creation, quality, and reliability. 

"This was a horrible crime that was a product of this convergence of mental illness and organic brain injuries that amplified his manic and irrational episodes," said Gerald "Bo" King, chief of the capital habeas unit for the Fourth Circuit, a division of the federal public defender’s office. 

"Brad is enormously remorseful. He’s a devout Christian and spends a tremendous amount of time on prayer and penitence. He repents every day for what he’s done."

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Firing Squad Execution Methods

Attorneys representing South Carolina’s death row inmates have opposed firing squads, citing the potential for extreme pain and arguing that the method constitutes cruel and unusual punishment.

Sigmon chose the firing squad partly due to concerns over the state’s lethal injection procedures.

The last three executions in South Carolina were carried out using pentobarbital, a sedative. Each took over 20 minutes, and in one instance, the inmate appeared to suffer effects similar to drowning and suffocation, according to court filings. Sigmon’s lawyers have also criticized the lack of transparency surrounding the state's lethal injection protocols.

“He has a right to this choice, but it’s not an informed choice,” King said. “My frustration is we are in a world where he has to choose between being electrocuted, poisoned, or shot, and we can’t even get the most basic facts you would want to make that decision.”

History of South Carolina Executions

South Carolina halted executions in 2011 due to a shortage of lethal injection drugs after pharmaceutical companies stopped selling them for use in capital punishment. Then, in 2023, state lawmakers passed a shield law to protect the identities of drug suppliers, allowing officials to resume executions.

According to South Carolina officials, the firing squad execution process involves strapping the inmate to a chair, placing an “aim point” on the heart, and covering the head with a hood. Three shooters positioned behind a 15-foot wall then fire their rifles through an opening.

In 2022, a South Carolina judge ruled that this method "constitutes torture," calling it "cruel" and unconstitutional.

 The judge noted that the condemned person could remain conscious for at least 10 seconds after being shot. And could experience severe pain if the initial gunfire does not completely incapacitate the heart. If vital signs remain after 10 minutes, a second round of shots will be administered.

Currently, five states allow firing squads, and Idaho lawmakers are considering making it the primary execution method. The last firing squad execution in the U.S. occurred in Utah in 2010, the only state to use this method in the past 50 years.