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South Carolina Prepares for Second Firing Squad Execution of 2025

Mikal Mahdi is set to be executed for the 2004 murder of a police officer after the state Supreme Court denied his final appeal.

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South Carolina's death chamber in Columbia is seen, containing the electric chair, right, and a firing squad chair, left.
Members of South Carolinians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty speak before presenting petitions to South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster asking him to grant clemency to Mikal Mahdi before his firing squad execution during a news conference on Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins)

Overview

  • Mikal Mahdi, convicted of killing Police Captain James Myers in 2004, is scheduled for execution by firing squad on April 11, 2025, in South Carolina.
  • This will be South Carolina's second firing squad execution this year, following Brad Sigmon's execution in March, as the state resumes capital punishment after a 13-year pause.
  • Mahdi chose the firing squad over lethal injection or electrocution, citing concerns over the inhumanity of other methods.
  • His attorneys argue that his abusive childhood, extensive solitary confinement, and inadequate legal defense contributed to his circumstances and should warrant clemency.
  • South Carolina's firing squad protocols involve three volunteer shooters firing from 15 feet away, with a red bull’s-eye target on the inmate’s chest.