On March 7, 2025, South Carolina executed 67-year-old Brad Sigmon by firing squad, marking the first use of this execution method in the United States in 15 years. Sigmon was convicted in 2001 for the murders of his ex-girlfriend's parents, David and Gladys Larke.

Facing concerns about potential suffering associated with other execution methods, Sigmon chose the firing squad over lethal injection or the electric chair. His legal appeals and requests for clemency were denied, including a last-minute appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The execution took place at the Broad River Correctional Institution, where Sigmon was strapped to a chair and hooded, with a target placed over his heart. Three riflemen, standing 15 feet away, fired simultaneously at his chest. Witnesses reported that Sigmon appeared to breathe briefly after the shots before being pronounced dead three minutes later.

This event has reignited debates over execution methods in the U.S., particularly concerning the ethics and potential suffering associated with lethal injections, which have faced scrutiny due to drug shortages and botched procedures. Some experts argue that firing squads are more reliable and less prone to error, potentially ensuring a quicker death.

South Carolina had not performed executions in over a decade, primarily due to difficulties obtaining lethal injection drugs. In response, the state legislature approved the use of the firing squad as an alternative execution method in 2021.

Sigmon's execution makes him the fourth person in the United States to be executed by firing squad since 1976, and the first since Ronnie Lee Gardner's execution in Utah in June 2010.