- Mikal Mahdi scheduled for April 11 execution via firing squad
- Follows Brad Sigmon’s March 2024 execution - first U.S. firing squad death since 2010
- Only 5 firing squad executions nationwide in 50 years
- Inmates choose between bullets, lethal injection, or electric chair in S.C.
South Carolina’s capital punishment system faces renewed scrutiny as Mikal Mahdi becomes the second inmate in five weeks to select a firing squad execution. The 41-year-old’s decision follows Brad Sigmon’s March 7 death, which marked the first use of bullets in a U.S. execution since Utah’s Ronnie Lee Gardner faced a firing squad in 2010.
Mahdi’s 2004 murder of Officer James Myers retains haunting details nearly two decades later. Prosecutors revealed Myers sustained eight gunshot wounds during an ambush at his Calhoun County property - the same location where he’d married his wife 15 months prior. Forensic reports indicate two headshots contributed to immediate fatality, while evidence suggested the killer used Myers’ own stolen firearm.
The upcoming execution protocol involves three volunteer prison staff positioned 15 feet from Mahdi. Department of Corrections guidelines mandate: (1) .30-caliber rifles loaded with frangible ammunition designed to fragment upon impact (2) A white cloth target placed over the inmate’s heart (3) Medical confirmation of death within three minutes of firing. This method mirrors Utah’s approach, where 85% of historical firing squad executions occurred.
Legal analysts note South Carolina’s 2021 statute allowing prisoner-selected execution methods has created ethical dilemmas. Since lethal injection drugs became scarce in 2013, 12 states have revised capital punishment protocols. Alabama recently adopted nitrogen hypoxia, while Tennessee reintroduced the electric chair in 2018 - methods criticized by 72% of criminal justice reformers in a 2023 Pew Research study.
Regional comparisons reveal stark contrasts: Texas performed 582 lethal injections since 1982 versus Utah’s three firing squad executions since 1976. South Carolina’s last execution before Sigmon occurred in 2011 via electric chair. Corrections Commissioner Bryan Stirling confirms all execution team volunteers undergo psychological evaluations, though experts warn about lasting trauma risks for participants.
