Baghdad: The authorities in the US state of South Carolina carried out the death sentence of a man by firing squad, marking the first time in 15 years that an execution has been conducted in this manner in the United States. The execution took place in Columbia, the capital of South Carolina, where Brad Sigmon, aged 67, was shot by three volunteer prison employees at close range.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, Sigmon opted for the firing squad instead of lethal injection, expressing a lack of confidence in the latter method. His lawyer conveyed that Sigmon was apprehensive about the possibility of prolonged suffering if the lethal injection was used. Prior to his execution, Sigmon was tied to a chair and his head was covered with a black hood.

The execution proceeded after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a request from Sigmon’s legal team to halt it. Sigmon had been convicted in 2001 for the brutal murder of his ex-girlfriend’s parents, whom he killed with a baseball bat in their home.