Brad Sigmon was convicted of murdering his ex-girlfriend's parents in 2001. He chose the firing squad over the electric chair and lethal injection.

Brad Keith Sigmon, who was convicted of killing his ex-girlfriend’s parents in South Carolina, opted for the firing squad over the electric chair and lethal injection.

As someone who has studied execution methods in the U.S., I see the resumption of death by firing squad as part of a morbid search for “better” execution methods. It comes amid concern over botched lethal injection attempts and a scarcity of the drugs needed to carry out such executions.