South Carolina inmate Brad Sigmon has made the unprecedented decision to opt for death by firing squad, a method of execution not utilized in the US for 15 years. Scheduled for March 7, Sigmon, at 67, will be the first South Carolina inmate to select the firing squad over lethal injection or the electric chair.
Historically, only three inmates in the US have been executed by firing squad since 1976, all in Utah, with the last instance occurring in 2010. Sigmon's execution will involve him being strapped to a chair with a hood over his head and a target placed over his heart, while three volunteers fire at him from a distance of about 15 feet.
