Brad Sigmon became the first person to be executed by firing squad in South Carolina and the first in the United States to die by this method since 2003.
The 67-year-old inmate, who had the option to choose between lethal injection, the electric chair, or the newly implemented firing squad, opted for the latter due to concerns over previous botched lethal injections.
Jeffrey Collins, a reporter for The Associated Press and one of the witnesses present during the execution, narrated the whole scenario.
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Sigmon was dressed in a black jumpsuit and was “completely strapped into” a chair. “My heart started pounding a little after Sigmon’s lawyer read his final statement. The hood was put over Sigmon’s head, and an employee opened the black pull shade that shielded where the three prison system volunteer shooters were,” he noted in the AP article
AP reporter cites the efficiency of firing squad compared to other methods
At precisely 6:05 p.m., the shots were fired. Collins described how witnesses “involuntarily flinched” at the sound of gunfire. “A jagged red spot about the size of a small fist appeared where Sigmon was shot. His chest moved two or three times. Outside of the rifle crack, there was no sound,” he recounted.
{{/usCountry}}At precisely 6:05 p.m., the shots were fired. Collins described how witnesses “involuntarily flinched” at the sound of gunfire. “A jagged red spot about the size of a small fist appeared where Sigmon was shot. His chest moved two or three times. Outside of the rifle crack, there was no sound,” he recounted.
{{/usCountry}}Medical personnel then conducted an examination for approximately 90 seconds. “A doctor came out in less than a minute, and his examination took about a minute more. Sigmon was declared dead at 6:08 p.m.,” Sigmon expressed.
Anna Dobbins, a reporter for WYFF who was also present as a witness, noted that the shooters were not visible to those observing the execution. She mentioned that all three shots were fired simultaneously.
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Collins, who has observed executions carried out by lethal injection, the electric chair, and now the firing squad, commented that the firing squad execution was “much quicker” compared to the other methods. “The time from the shots being fired to the time death was declared was a little over two minutes,” he explained.