On April 11, 2025, South Carolina conducted its second firing squad execution in over a month, putting to death 42-year-old Mikal Mahdi. However, Mahdi’s autopsy report has labeled the procedure “botched” after bullets missed his heart, causing him to endure excruciating pain before dying.
Mahdi, convicted for a violent 2004 crime spree that included the murder of off-duty police officer James Myers, was strapped to a chair with a target over his chest. According to NPR, three prison staff members fired at him. However, only two bullet wounds were found that damaged organs like the liver, but not the heart. Forensic pathologists concluded he remained alive and in pain for 30 to 80 seconds after the shots were fired.
