At the Broad River Correctional Institution, located in Columbia, South Carolina, a team of shooters is honing their aim for what will be a historic event in the state.
South Carolina is preparing for the first execution by firing squad scheduled for this Friday, March 7, after a long time without its use.
This method, which has been practically abandoned in the United States, is returning amid controversy and questions about the death penalty and the methods used to carry it out.
According to the Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC), since the death penalty was declared constitutional in 1976, only three executions by firing squad have taken place in the country, all in Utah, with the last one in 2010. Now, South Carolina joins the states that have legalized this method after approving it in 2021 due to the growing difficulty in obtaining the drugs needed for lethal injections.
The choice of execution method
The condemned man, Brad Sigmon, 67, opted for the firing squad over electrocution or lethal injection, the other methods available in the state. Sigmon was sentenced to death in 2002 for beating to death the parents of his ex-girlfriend. According to his attorney, Gerald “Bo” King, his client’s decision was motivated by concerns about the problems reported in recent lethal injection executions in South Carolina.
In a recent legal filing, Sigmon’s defense team highlighted irregularities in the execution of Marion Bowman Jr., who died last month by lethal injection. According to the autopsy report, Bowman received a dose of 10 grams of pentobarbital, double the amount stipulated in the state protocol, resulting in a death that, according to the attorneys, resembled drowning due to the accumulation of blood and fluid in the lungs. King argued that the state should provide more information about the quality and protocol of pentobarbital so that condemned individuals can make informed decisions.
However, state prosecutors responded that by choosing the firing squad, Sigmon waived any argument related to lethal injection. They also defended that the administration of the second dose of pentobarbital in previous executions complied with established protocols.
The ancient method returning in modern times
The firing squad, though uncommon in the modern era, has a long history in the United States. During the Civil War, it was used to execute soldiers who deserted, and in 1924, Nevada experimented with an automatic machine to fire bullets and avoid having a single person assume direct responsibility for the execution.
Today, only a handful of states, such as Mississippi and Oklahoma, allow this method, while Idaho legalized it in 2023. According to professor Corinna Barrett Lain of the University of Richmond School of Law, the resurgence of the firing squad is a response to the problems associated with lethal injection, such as the difficulty in obtaining drugs and the lack of medical professionals willing to participate in the process.
“The firing squad is too honest, too explicit about what the death penalty is. People tend to think it’s barbaric and archaic,” said Lain, author of the upcoming book Secrets of the Killing State: The Untold Story of Lethal Injection. “In that way, it may spark some very important and long-overdue conversations about the death penalty in this country,” she added.
The procedure in South Carolina
In South Carolina, the protocol states that the condemned individual will be seated with a target placed over the heart. Three shooters, all employees of the Department of Corrections, will fire rifles from behind a wall at a distance of 15 feet (4.5 meters). Before the execution, the prisoner may offer a final statement, and afterward, a hood will be placed over their head.
The Department of Corrections has assured that the shooters receive adequate training and that psychological support is provided to the staff involved in the process. According to forensic consultant D’Michelle DuPre, if the shooters are well-trained, the procedure should be quick and painless, as the destruction of the heart causes an immediate loss of consciousness.
Image: Infobae
