A 67-year-old man from South Carolina, Brad Sigmon, has become the first US death row inmate in 15 years to be executed by a firing squad. Sigmon, who was found guilty of murdering his ex-girlfriend’s parents with a baseball bat in 2001, chose to die by firing squad instead of the electric chair or lethal injection. He was shot to death just after 18:00 local time (23:00 GMT) on Friday by three volunteers firing rifles at his chest.
Chrysti Shain, from the South Carolina Department of Corrections, confirmed Sigmon’s death at 18:08 local time and stated that three members of the Larke family were present to witness his execution. Before being killed, Sigmon expressed love and apologized, quoted the Bible to denounce the death penalty, and stated that people now live under the New Testament.
Sigmon was strapped to a chair with a basin underneath to catch any blood. A curtain hid three volunteers who fired at him from 15 feet away without a countdown. Jeffrey Collins, a reporter for the Associated Press, said Sigmon had a red bullseye target placed over his heart. After reading his final statement, a hood was placed over his head, and when he was shot, his chest rose and fell several times.
Sigmon’s lawyer, Bo King, had hoped for a last-minute stay of execution and accused the state of withholding information about the lethal injection process. King also mentioned Sigmon’s mental illness and his rehabilitation in prison, as evidenced by his generous last meal of Kentucky Fried Chicken, which he shared with fellow inmates.
Since 1977, only three people have died by firing squad in the US, all in Utah. The last case was Ronnie Lee Gardner in 2010. Before Sigmon’s execution, anti-death penalty protesters held a rally outside the jail in Columbia, holding signs that emphasized the preciousness of life and opposition to the death penalty. The bullets used in the firing squad execution are designed to break apart on impact and cause maximum damage, with the identities of the execution team members kept secret.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8j0me0jzwko
