First execution by the shooting command in the USA for 15 years

First execution by the shooting command in the USA for 15 years

In a dramatic turn, 67-year-old Brad Sigmon in South Carolina was executed by a shooting squad for the first time in 15 years. This brutal execution took place on Friday in the Columbia prison. Sigmon, who was convicted of the murder of his ex-girlfriend's murder, deliberately chose this method because he seemed too uncertain the fatal injection. According to his lawyers, he feared that he had to suffer too long, reported Krone.at.

The execution was initiated precisely at 6:05 p.m. when three volunteers fired at Sigmon at the same time from a distance of 4.6 meters. Just a few hours earlier, the Supreme Court of the United States had rejected an application to its lawyers, which was supposed to prevent execution. Sigmon was guilty in 2001 to have killed the two murder victims with a baseball bat in their house. According to sources, he had also tried to kidnap his ex-girlfriend to kill her too, reported Tagefiegel.de.

Last words and accompaniment of execution

Before his death, Sigmon appealed to society to reject the "eye for eye" judiciary and referred to Bible quotes in order to underpin his arguments. While members of the victims, his lawyer and some media representatives were present, a target was attached to him over the heart and a hood was pulled over his head. The doctor declared him dead only three minutes after the execution. This represents a significant moment in the history of the death penalty in the United States, since shooting commands are only allowed in a few states and have hardly been used in recent years.

Even if South Carolina reintroduced this direction of execution in 2021, Sigmon was the first prisoner to be executed in this way. States such as Idaho, Mississippi and Oklahoma also have the option of performing executions by shooting commands, as the Death Penalty Information Center reports. A total of 13 further executions are planned this year.