USA US inmate executed by firing squad

SDA

8.3.2025 - 04:06

dpatopbilder - A hearse leaves the prison in South Carolina after the execution of inmate Brad Sigmon. Photo: Chris Carlson/AP/dpa
dpatopbilder - A hearse leaves the prison in South Carolina after the execution of inmate Brad Sigmon. Photo: Chris Carlson/AP/dpa
Keystone

It was the quick death he himself had chosen. For the first time in 15 years, a prisoner has been executed by firing squad in the USA. At 6.05 pm (local time), three volunteers opened fire on 67-year-old Brad Sigmon from Greenville in the state of South Carolina. A doctor pronounced him dead at 6.08 p.m., according to the authorities.

Keystone-SDA

According to his lawyer, the convicted murderer had opted for the firing squad himself because he did not trust the lethal injection. Sigmon had feared that he would have to suffer for too long, his lawyer told the Greenville News newspaper.

Convicted of brutal murders

Sigmon had confessed to killing his ex-girlfriend's parents with a baseball bat in their home in 2001. The two had been in different rooms at the time and he had repeatedly run back and forth to beat them to death, CBS reported. Sigmon had also kidnapped his ex-girlfriend with the intention of murdering her as well. However, she was able to escape. CBS quoted his admission: "I couldn't have her, and I didn't want anyone else to have her."

An attempt by the lawyers to stop the execution via the US Supreme Court had failed a few hours earlier. The governor of the state also refused to intervene.

According to witnesses, the 67-year-old was strapped to a chair in the execution cell in the prison in Columbia, the state capital. A black hood was placed over his head. One witness said that the death row inmate's heart was marked as the target.

Relatives of the victims looked on

The three volunteers reportedly fired through slits in the wall. Relatives of the victims, Sigmon's lawyer and some media representatives were present at the execution. In his last word, Sigmon called for the abolition of the death penalty, according to the prison authorities.

According to information from the Death Penalty Information Center, South Carolina reintroduced the possibility of execution by firing squad in 2021, but has not yet executed anyone in this way. In the past, this method of execution had also been used in part because the state was unable to obtain drugs for the lethal injections. In addition to these two methods of execution, South Carolina also has the electric chair.

Five states with firing squads

According to the non-profit organization, in addition to South Carolina, the states of Idaho, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Utah also allow executions by firing squad. The last such execution took place in Utah in 2010. A total of 13 more executions are reportedly planned for this year.