Second South Carolina inmate chooses execution by firing squad

A 2nd South Carolina decease enactment inmate has chosen execution by firing squad. 

Mikal Mahdi, 41, volition beryllium enactment to decease connected April 11 aft pleading blameworthy to execution for sidesplitting a constabulary serviceman successful 2004.  

"Faced with barbaric and inhumane choices, Mikal Mahdi has chosen the lesser of 3 evils," 1 of his lawyers, David Weiss, said successful a statement. "Mikal chose the firing squad alternatively of being burned and mutilated successful the electrical chair, oregon suffering a lingering decease connected the lethal injection gurney." 

Brad Sigmon chose to beryllium changeable to decease successful South Carolina connected March 7, becoming the archetypal captive executed by firing squad successful the U.S. successful 15 years. A doc pronounced Sigmon dormant little than 3 minutes aft 3 bullets struck him. 

SOUTH CAROLINA SETS DATE FOR 5th EXECUTION IN UNDER 7 MONTHS 

Mikal Mahdi, 41, is acceptable to beryllium executed connected April 11 astatine 6 p.m. astatine a situation successful Columbia.  (South Carolina Department of Corrections via AP)

Only 3 different inmates successful the U.S. person been executed by this method since 1976, and each were successful Utah. 

Mahdi stole a weapon and a car successful Virginia connected July 14, 2004, erstwhile helium was 21, apprehension records show. The adjacent day, helium changeable and killed a North Carolina store clerk arsenic the clerk was checking his identification. A mates of days later, helium carjacked idiosyncratic astatine an intersection successful Columbia, South Carolina. 

On July 18, 2004, portion connected the tally aft those crimes, Mahdi hid successful Orangeburg, South Carolina, nationalist information serviceman James Myers' shed. Mahdi ambushed Meyers erstwhile the serviceman returned from a day solemnisation for his wife, sister and daughter, prosecutors said. 

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This photograph provided by the South Carolina Department of Corrections shows the state's decease enclosure successful Columbia, S.C., including the electrical chair, right, and a firing squad chair, left.  (South Carolina Department of Corrections/AP)

Myers, 56, was changeable 8 oregon 9 times, including doubly successful the caput aft falling to the ground. A pathologist testified that astatine slightest 7 of the shots would person been fatal. 

Mahdi past acceptable Myers' assemblage connected occurrence and ran away. Myers' woman discovered her husband's dormant assemblage successful the shed, which they had utilized for the backdrop of their wedding. 

Brad Sigmon was convicted of beating to decease his estranged girlfriend’s parents successful Greenville County successful 2001. (South Carolina Department of Corrections via AP)

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On July 21, 2004, Mahdi was taken into custody successful Florida. 

Fox News’ Landon Mion and the Associated Press contributed to this report.