South Carolina Prepares for First Firing Squad Execution in 15 Years

Brad Sigmon, 67, is set to be executed by firing squad in South Carolina on Friday at 6 PM, marking the first U.S. execution of its kind since 2010. Unless the U.S. Supreme Court or the governor intervenes, Sigmon will become only the fourth person executed by firing squad in nearly 50 years.

Inside the Execution: What Will Happen?

Sigmon will be strapped into a chair inside South Carolina’s death chamber. A target will be placed over his heart, and he may choose to say final words before a hood is placed over his head.

As the curtain opens, three trained shooters, standing 15 feet away, will fire simultaneously using .308-caliber, Winchester 110-grain TAP Urban rounds—bullets designed to shatter upon impact, ensuring a quick death.

The entire process is expected to take less than five minutes, significantly faster than lethal injection, which can take up to 20 minutes.

A doctor will confirm Sigmon’s death shortly after the shots are fired.

Why Did Sigmon Choose the Firing Squad?

Sigmon was given three execution options:

• Electric chair – which he feared would "cook him alive."
• Lethal injection – but he distrusted the secrecy surrounding the drugs and worried about a slow, painful death.
• Firing squad – his only remaining choice.

His lawyers have since argued that South Carolina’s lack of transparency about lethal injection violates his right to make an informed decision, leading them to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court for a delay.

The Crime That Led to Death Row

In 2002, Sigmon brutally bludgeoned his ex-girlfriend’s parents to death with a baseball bat after she refused to reconcile. He then kidnapped his ex-girlfriend at gunpoint and attempted to shoot her as she escaped, but missed.

Following his arrest, he confessed, stating:

"If I couldn’t have her, I wasn’t going to let anybody else have her. And I knew it got to the point where I couldn’t have her."

Sigmon was convicted of murder, kidnapping, and attempted murder and sentenced to death in 2002.

Why is South Carolina Using a Firing Squad?

South Carolina has struggled to obtain lethal injection drugs in recent years, as pharmaceutical companies have refused to supply them unless their identities remain confidential—something the state did not allow at the time.

Executions were effectively paused for over a decade as courts refused to schedule them without an alternative method.

In 2021, South Carolina passed a law reinstating the firing squad as an execution option to restart capital punishment in the state.

Is the Firing Squad More Humane?

The firing squad is often associated with brutal military punishments and authoritarian regimes, but some legal experts argue it may be more humane than other execution methods.

• Unlike lethal injection, which can be botched if IVs are not properly inserted, a well-placed bullet can cause instant death.
• Electrocution often burns and disfigures inmates, leading some to question its cruelty.
• The latest execution method, nitrogen gas suffocation, has caused inmates to writhe and struggle, raising further concerns.

Even U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor acknowledged in 2017 that a firing squad may be quicker and less painful than other methods.

However, Randy Gardner, whose brother Ronnie Gardner was executed by firing squad in Utah in 2010, disagrees:

"This will be gruesome and barbaric," he said, showing an Associated Press reporter autopsy photos of his brother's execution.

Can Sigmon Still Avoid Execution?

Sigmon’s legal team has made a last-minute appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court to delay the execution, citing South Carolina’s secrecy over lethal injection drugs.

Additionally, they have pleaded with Governor Henry McMaster to commute his sentence to life in prison, arguing that Sigmon:
✔ Has been a model prisoner for 23 years
✔ Works every day to atone for his crimes
✔ Struggled with severe mental illness at the time of the murders

South Carolina governors have never granted clemency to a death row inmate since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976.