In South Carolina on Friday evening, a significant and somber event is scheduled to occur. Brad Sigmon, a 67-year-old man, is set to be executed by firing squad, marking the first such execution in the United States since 2010. Sigmon’s execution will take place unless last-minute intervention occurs from either the governor or the U.S. Supreme Court. He is set to become only the fourth individual executed by this method since the reinstatement of the death penalty in the U.S. 49 years ago.
Sigmon, who was convicted of murdering his ex-girlfriend’s parents with a baseball bat, chose the firing squad over the alternatives due to concerns about other execution methods. His legal team argued that Sigmon found the electric chair too brutal and feared complications from a lethal injection, such as fluid buildup in the lungs from the drug pentobarbital. Despite a plea to the Supreme Court to delay the execution due to a lack of transparency about the lethal injection drug, Sigmon’s execution by rifles remains scheduled.
The method of execution by firing squad has a contentious history in the United States and globally, often associated with military punishment and authoritarian regimes. However, some advocate for this method as potentially more humane, citing that if the shots are accurately placed, death is almost instant. This contrasts with other methods like lethal injection or electrocution, which have been criticized for potentially causing prolonged suffering.
In 2010, Ronnie Gardner was executed by a firing squad in Utah, the last occurrence of this nature in the country. His brother, Randy Gardner, opposes the notion that it is more humane, citing the brutal nature and aftermath of such an execution. As Sigmon’s execution nears, discussions about the ethics and humanity of execution methods continue.
The execution will occur in a chamber close to South Carolina’s death row, where Sigmon has been incarcerated for over two decades. Those witnessing the execution, including the media and victims’ family members, will do so from behind bullet-resistant glass. The firing squad, positioned 15 feet from Sigmon, will consist of three volunteers using specialized ammunition designed for maximum lethality upon impact.
South Carolina opted for the firing squad amid challenges in acquiring lethal injection drugs. With a depleted supply and refusal from companies to sell these drugs without anonymity, state officials were compelled to reconsider execution methods. Judges halted executions unless inmates could select their method, leading to an accumulation of pending executions. A proposal from a state lawmaker reintroduced the firing squad as a viable option alongside comments from a U.S. Supreme Court Justice noting its potentially less painful nature.
Sigmon’s crimes, which led to his death sentence, involved the brutal murder of his ex-girlfriend’s parents following a personal conflict and a failed attempt to also kill his former partner in a frenzied state. Despite his violent past, his lawyers have argued for clemency, citing his exemplary conduct in prison and mental health challenges at the time of his offenses. They petitioned the governor to commute his sentence to life, but historically, South Carolina governors have not granted clemency since the mid-1970s after the death penalty’s reinstatement.
As Sigmon’s scheduled execution approaches, he will have a final meal with fellow death row inmates and plans to distribute his remaining commissary funds. In conjunction with the execution’s solemn procedures, the state’s officials, including the prison warden and governor’s office, will conduct final checks to ensure no outstanding appeals exist before the execution proceeds. The somber event highlights ongoing debates over the death penalty and the search for execution methods deemed acceptable by both the public and those involved in the justice system.