In South Carolina, the use of a firing squad for executions is making headlines as Mikal Mahdi is set to be the second inmate in five weeks to face this method of death due to the state’s shortage of lethal injection drugs. Mahdi, a prisoner convicted of killing an off-duty police officer 20 years ago, chose to die by three bullets to the heart rather than lethal injection or the electric chair. This decision comes despite the violent history associated with firing squads, which have been used for punishment, frontier justice, and political repression around the world.
The execution of Mahdi will be the 12th in the U.S. this year, with South Carolina being one of several states to use methods such as nitrogen gas, lethal injection, and now the firing squad. The execution process involves Mahdi being strapped into a chair with a target placed over his heart, followed by shooters firing high-powered rifles from a short distance away.
Mahdi’s case has been the subject of a final appeal, which was rejected by both the U.S. and South Carolina Supreme Courts. His defense argued for leniency based on his troubled childhood and time spent in solitary confinement as a teen, while prosecutors highlighted his violent nature and behavior while in prison. The resumption of executions in South Carolina comes after a 13-year pause, with Mahdi being the fifth inmate to be put to death since September as the state moves through prisoners who have exhausted their appeals.
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