In South Carolina, death by firing squad is a legal execution option since a law passed in 2021, primarily due to drug shortages for lethal injection. Although no executions by firing squad have occurred yet, inmate Brad Sigmon, scheduled for execution on March 7, 2024, has opted for this method due to concerns about lethal injection. Historically, firing squads are associated with military executions, particularly during wartime. Currently, Utah, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Idaho also permit firing squads, either as primary or secondary execution methods. Firing squad executions typically involve three shooters aiming at the condemned’s heart.
No inmate in South Carolina has ever faced a legal execution by firing squad.
However, for those awaiting death, this option exists. On Friday, an attorney for a convicted murderer revealed that his client preferred a firing squad over other execution methods.
Firing squad executions have deep historical roots in the U.S., often linked to the Wild West and the Civil War. Yet, their modern use has been infrequent, with the last American inmate executed in this manner occurring in 2010 in Utah.
This may be changing — and not just in South Carolina.
What is happening in South Carolina?
In 2021, the state enacted a law permitting death by firing squad as a legal execution option for those on death row. This legislation was largely influenced by a shortage of lethal injection drugs, historically the most common execution method in states with capital punishment.
Though challenged, the law was ultimately upheld by the South Carolina Supreme Court, which ruled last year that death by electrocution, firing squad, or lethal injection could not be deemed cruel or unusual since inmates had the choice of what they perceived as the least painful option.
So far, the method has not been used to execute anyone on death row. However, that may change on March 7, when 67-year-old Brad Sigmon, convicted of murdering his former girlfriend’s parents in Taylors, S.C. in 2001, is scheduled for execution. According to his lawyer, Gerald “Bo” King, Mr. Sigmon has opted for death by firing squad due to concerns regarding the lethal injection process in South Carolina.
How many civilians have been executed by firing squads in the United States?
Since 1977, there have been three executions by firing squad, all occurring in Utah.
Historical records indicate that at least 144 American inmates have faced execution by shooting since 1608, though the exact number involving firing squads remains unclear. Of these, Utah accounts for 40 executions — the highest of any state.
A type of automated firing squad was utilized to execute a prisoner in Nevada over a century ago, explained Deborah Denno, a law professor at Fordham University: During the execution of Andriza Mircovich in 1913, a mechanism fired three rifles simultaneously, so that no individual had to pull a trigger.
Professor Denno contends that firing squads may be more humane than other execution methods, partly because they are less prone to botching compared to lethal injections. However, historically, the practice is more commonly linked to military contexts than civilian executions.
“I believe it appears barbaric to many, given its association with our nation’s history,” Professor Denno noted. “It relates to military executions and wartime.”
What did firing squads look like during conflict?
During the Civil War, both Union and Confederate forces executed deserting soldiers by firing squad. These public executions aimed to instill fear.
“They were often conducted at crossroads, fields, or open public spaces — meant explicitly to target deserters,” stated Mark M. Smith, the distinguished history professor at the University of South Carolina, who opposed the legalization of firing squad executions in a 2023 affidavit for the South Carolina Supreme Court.
Deserters were typically shot at the same time by three or more fellow soldiers — one of whom might have been given blank rounds, as seen in the 2010 Utah execution — to obfuscate accountability for the killing.
The origins of firing squad executions remain unclear, noted Professor Smith, who added that other nations also employ this method. It appears that in the U.S., firing squads were used against deserters as far back as the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812.
Nonetheless, he pointed out that the practice has always been somewhat uncommon, with reports suggesting that witnesses often found the bloodshed shocking.
Where are firing squads legal? And how do they work?
Individuals on death row can opt for firing squads in Utah and South Carolina. Mississippi and Oklahoma permit the firing squad as a backup execution method if lethal injection drugs are unavailable.
Idaho also has the same provisions, although Republican lawmakers recently proposed a bill to make firing squads the primary execution method.
Each state may establish its own procedures for this practice. In South Carolina, the Department of Corrections indicated in 2022 that inmates choosing this execution method would be secured to chairs with hoods placed over their heads.
Three department staff members with rifles loaded with live rounds would stand behind a wall with an opening through which they would aim at the individual’s heart.
Eduardo Medina contributed reporting.