Brad Sigmon, a South Carolina man convicted of murdering his ex-girlfriend’s parents, has been executed by firing squad, becoming the first US death row inmate to die by this method in 15 years.
Sigmon, 67, was pronounced dead at 18:08 local time (23:08 GMT) on Friday, after three state corrections department volunteers fired specially designed bullets into his chest.
The execution took place at the Broad River Correctional Institution in Columbia, South Carolina.
Convicted in 2001 for the brutal killing of David and Gladys Larke with a baseball bat before kidnapping his ex-girlfriend at gunpoint, Sigmon had chosen the firing squad over the other two execution methods permitted by the state: the electric chair and lethal injection.
Chrysti Shain, a spokesperson for the South Carolina Department of Corrections, confirmed that three members of the Larke family were present to witness the execution, along with Sigmon’s spiritual adviser.
According to witnesses, Sigmon was strapped into a chair equipped with a basin to catch blood.
In his final statement, he called on Christians to help abolish the death penalty.
“An eye for an eye was used as justification to the jury for seeking the death penalty.
“At that time, I was too ignorant to know how wrong that was. Why? Because we no longer live under the Old Testament law but now live under the New Testament,” he said.
Following his statement, a hood was placed over his head.
At 18:01, a curtain concealing the executioners opened, and at 18:05, the three volunteers fired from 15ft (4.6m) away without a countdown.
Jeffrey Collins, a reporter for the Associated Press, described the moment, noting that Sigmon had a red bullseye target placed over his heart.
“When he was shot, his chest rose and fell several times,” Collins said.
A doctor then examined him for approximately 90 seconds before pronouncing him dead.
Medical experts have debated whether this method causes excessive pain. Anna Dobbins, a reporter for WHFF-TV, described seeing a “splash of blood” as the bullets struck.
She added that Sigmon’s arms “flexed” upon impact, though all shots were fired simultaneously and the executioners remained concealed.
Prison officials provided earplugs to witnesses to muffle the sound of gunfire. Counselling services have been made available to prison staff who may have been traumatised by the execution, Shain confirmed.
Sigmon’s lawyer, Bo King, had fought for a last-minute stay of execution, accusing the state of withholding critical information about lethal injection drugs.
“Brad only wanted assurances that these drugs were not expired, or diluted, or spoiled—what any of us would want to know about the medication we take, or the food we eat, much less the means of our death,” he said.
“It is unfathomable that, in 2025, South Carolina would execute one of its citizens in this bloody spectacle,” King added, arguing that Sigmon had been rehabilitated during his time in prison.
King also revealed that Sigmon had requested three buckets of Kentucky Fried Chicken for his last meal, hoping to share them with fellow death row inmates.
However, this request was denied. Officials later confirmed that he was served four pieces of fried chicken, green beans, mashed potatoes with gravy, biscuits, cheesecake, and sweet tea on Wednesday evening.
Sigmon’s execution marks the first time a firing squad has been used in the US since 2010, when Utah executed Ronnie Lee Gardner.
Since 1977, only three other inmates had been put to death using this method, all in Utah.
Ahead of the execution, anti-death penalty protesters gathered outside the prison in Columbia, holding signs that read “all life is precious” and “thou shalt not kill.”
Under South Carolina law, witnesses observe executions from behind bulletproof glass, while the identities of the executioners remain protected.
In 2023, the state passed legislation ensuring that the identities of execution team members remain secret.
