South Carolina executes inmate by firing squad, first in 15 years

The US state of South Carolina executed inmate Brad Sigmon, 67, by firing squad on Friday, marking the first execution by this method in the US in 15 years.

Officials confirmed that three volunteer prison staff members shot Sigmon at close range at a prison in Columbia, the state capital.

Sigmon chose the firing squad over lethal injection due to concerns about its effectiveness, his lawyer stated. Before the execution, he was strapped to a chair and had his head covered with a black hood.

Earlier on Friday, the US Supreme Court rejected a last-minute appeal to halt the execution. Sigmon was convicted in 2001 for killing his ex-girlfriend’s parents with a baseball bat.