South Carolina Executes Inmate by Firing Squad, First in the U.S. Since 2010
A South Carolina inmate has been executed by firing squad, marking the first instance of such an execution in the United States since 2010, according to the South Carolina Department of Corrections. Brad Sigmon, 67, was executed on Friday, making it only the fourth firing squad execution in the U.S. since the reinstatement of capital punishment in 1976, as reported by the Death Penalty Information Center.
Sigmon opted for the firing squad over the state’s other approved methods of execution, which include lethal injection and the electric chair. He was pronounced dead by a physician at 6:08 p.m. ET, as confirmed by officials during a news conference.
Convicted for the 2001 murders of his ex-girlfriend’s parents, Sigmon also kidnapped his ex-girlfriend at gunpoint, although she managed to escape. In a final statement relayed by his attorney, Sigmon expressed a message of love and urged fellow Christians to join the movement to abolish the death penalty.