South Carolina is preparing to carry out its first execution by firing squad in modern history after a death row inmate convicted of killing a police officer waived his appeals and chose the method himself.
The inmate, who was sentenced to death for the 2005 murder of a public safety officer during a traffic stop, has formally accepted the firing squad over other available execution methods. His decision comes after years of legal delays and renewed debate over execution protocols in the state.
Officials confirmed that the execution will be conducted at the Broad River Correctional Institution, where a chamber has been retrofitted to accommodate firing squad procedures. The method involves the inmate being strapped to a chair and shot by three trained corrections officers, one of whom fires a blank round to maintain anonymity.
South Carolina revised its capital punishment laws in recent years to allow firing squads as an alternative due to the difficulty in obtaining lethal injection drugs. The move drew both support and criticism, with some calling it a necessary solution and others decrying it as inhumane.
The execution is scheduled to proceed unless halted by a last-minute legal challenge. If carried out, it will mark one of the rare uses of a firing squad in the United States and the first in South Carolina history under its updated law.