South Carolina's return to executions by firing squad
Gone quiet · last story Nov 14, 2025
What this arc covers
South Carolina's 2025 executions, including Brad Sigmon, the first person executed by firing squad in the US in 15 years, the second firing-squad execution weeks later, and lawyers' claim that the bullets mostly missed one executed man's heart.
Earliest story we hold Jan 31, 2025 · 9 stories · 43 independent sources (counted once each) · 287 days
Part ofSouth Carolina
Part of The death penalty
- South Carolina's return to executions by firing squadThis arcJan 31 – Nov 14, 2025
- Florida's record pace of executions under Ron DeSantisFeb 13, 2025 – Sep 29, 2026
Where it standsnewest first · each bar runs left to right by leaning
Nov 14– 152025A South Carolina man is executed by firing squad for 2004 killings11 articles · 10 independent sources2 left, 3 center, 2 right
Jun 13– 142025South Carolina executes man who was serving death sentences in two murders8 articles · 8 independent sources4 left, 1 center, 0 right
May 82025Lawyers for man executed by firing squad in South Carolina say bullets mostly missed his heart6 articles · 6 independent sources1 left, 1 center, 1 right
Key momentsthe most covered; every story is below
- Feb 21 – 22, 2025Condemned South Carolina killer chooses to be executed by firing squad15 articles · 15 independent sources
- Mar 4 – 8, 2025A South Carolina prisoner is the first executed by a firing squad in 15 years49 articles · 34 independent sources
- Apr 11 – 12, 2025South Carolina executes second man by firing squad in 5 weeks15 articles · 9 independent sources
- Jun 13 – 14, 2025South Carolina executes man who was serving death sentences in two murders8 articles · 8 independent sources
- Nov 14 – 15, 2025A South Carolina man is executed by firing squad for 2004 killings11 articles · 10 independent sources
Who covered it, over timeindependent sources per week, by side
Jan 27Mar 24May 19Jul 21Sep 15Nov 10
LeftCenterRight
Point at or tap a week to see its count by side.
Every week as a table
| Week of | Left | Center | Right | Articles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 27, 2025 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 8 |
| Feb 17, 2025 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 15 |
| Mar 3, 2025 | 8 | 11 | 6 | 56 |
| Apr 7, 2025 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 23 |
| May 5, 2025 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| Jun 9, 2025 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 8 |
| Nov 10, 2025 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 10 |
Stories before June 28, 2026 come from archived pages, so who covered them is limited to the outlets we recovered for that period.
40% left · 46% center · 14% right of 43 independent sources among the outlets we track, across 9 stories.
Every storyoldest first
January 2025
Jan 31– Feb 1S.C. executes convicted murderer7 articles · 7 independent sources1 left, 3 center, 3 rightFebruary 2025
Feb 21– 22Condemned South Carolina killer chooses to be executed by firing squad15 articles · 15 independent sources3 left, 1 center, 4 rightMarch 2025
Mar 4– 8A South Carolina prisoner is the first executed by a firing squad in 15 years49 articles · 34 independent sources8 left, 9 center, 6 right- Mar 5– 8Brad Keith Sigmon final words before South Carolina execution10 articles · 3 independent sources0 left, 2 center, 0 right
April 2025
Apr 11South Carolina plans execution by firing squad for Mikal Mahdi9 articles · 3 independent sources0 left, 2 center, 0 right- Apr 11– 12South Carolina executes second man by firing squad in 5 weeks15 articles · 9 independent sources1 left, 5 center, 0 right
May 2025
May 8Lawyers for man executed by firing squad in South Carolina say bullets mostly missed his heart6 articles · 6 independent sources1 left, 1 center, 1 rightJune 2025
Jun 13– 14South Carolina executes man who was serving death sentences in two murders8 articles · 8 independent sources4 left, 1 center, 0 rightNovember 2025
Nov 14– 15A South Carolina man is executed by firing squad for 2004 killings11 articles · 10 independent sources2 left, 3 center, 2 right