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Capital punishment is back in the news in the United States. Mikal Mahdi was killed by firing squad in South Carolina, a similar choice to that of the convicted man in March. A controversial method that is dividing public opinion

Another death row inmate was executed in South Carolina, where shooting was chosen as the method of execution. This is the second time in just over a month that the southern U.S. state has resorted to firing squads, a method that had not been used for 15 years. Mikal Mahdi, 42, had in fact preferred firing squad over lethal injection, as had been done by convicted killer Mikal Mahdi last March 7.

The execution, which took place overnight, was carried out by three members of the firing squad, who are volunteers. Protocol calls for the condemned man to be tied to a chair, with a hood over his head and a target on his chest at the heart. The three shooters, placed five meters away, fired multiple shots to ensure that death was immediate.

David Weiss, Mahdi’s defense attorney, commented on the event, calling the shooting a “horrific act,” recalling how similar execution methods belong to “darker chapters of history,” far removed from a civilized society. However, South Carolina, which reintroduced shooting as an option for capital punishment in 2021, is not the only state with this method: Utah, Idaho, Mississippi, and Oklahoma have taken it up as an alternative to lethal injection.

Mahdi’s is the 12th execution since the beginning of 2025 in the United States, where as many as 23 states maintain capital punishment. Some others, such as California, Oregon and Pennsylvania, however, have adopted moratoriums, temporarily suspending the application of the death penalty. The reintroduction of the shooting is sparking a heated debate about the future of capital punishment in the U.S., with many considering it too cruel and anachronistic a method.

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(Photo: © AndKronos)

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