In a rare and controversial use of capital punishment, South Carolina on Friday executed 42-year-old Mikal Mahdi by firing squad—marking only the second such execution in the United States in the past 15 years.

Mahdi was convicted of two brutal 2004 murders: the killing of 56-year-old off-duty police officer James Myers and, just days earlier, the murder of a convenience store clerk. State officials confirmed that Mahdi was executed at 6:01 p.m. (2201 GMT) by a three-person firing squad. He was pronounced dead four minutes later.

A method seldom used

South Carolina is one of the few U.S. states that allows condemned inmates to choose between three execution methods: lethal injection, the electric chair, and the firing squad. Mahdi elected the latter, an option that has sparked considerable ethical debate.

The execution was carried out in accordance with protocol: Mahdi was strapped into a chair, hooded, and positioned 15 feet away from the firing squad, which was composed of volunteer Department of Corrections officers.

His death follows a similar execution carried out by the state on March 7, in which a man convicted of killing his ex-girlfriend’s parents was executed by the same method—the first firing squad execution in the U.S. since 2010.

Defense: “A horrifying act that belongs in the darkest chapters of history”

Mahdi’s attorney, David Weiss, condemned the execution in a scathing statement.

“Tonight, the state of South Carolina executed him by firing squad — a horrifying act that belongs in the darkest chapters of history, not in a civilized society,” Weiss said. “Mikal died in full view of a system that failed him at every turn — from childhood to his final breath.”

Court records and statements from Mahdi’s legal team described a deeply troubled life. They noted that Mahdi was abandoned by his mother at age four and left in the care of a mentally ill, abusive father. Between the ages of 14 and 21, Mahdi reportedly spent over 80% of his life in prison, including 8,000 hours in solitary confinement.

His attorneys emphasized that he was remorseful and had changed dramatically since the crimes were committed.

“He was a dramatically different person from the confused, angry and abused youth who committed the capital crimes,” they said.

Clemency denied

Mahdi had submitted a request for clemency to Governor Henry McMaster, but the Republican governor denied the plea—just as he had rejected Mahdi’s earlier petitions.

The broader context: Execution methods and public scrutiny

Mahdi’s death marks the 12th execution in the United States in 2025. There were 25 executions nationwide in 2024. The overwhelming majority of these have been carried out by lethal injection, the standard method since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976.

However, alternative methods have drawn increased attention. Alabama recently conducted four executions using nitrogen gas, a practice condemned by U.N. human rights experts as “cruel and inhumane.”

As of today, 23 U.S. states have abolished the death penalty entirely, while three others—California, Oregon, and Pennsylvania—maintain official moratoriums on executions.

Federal developments and political stance

Capital punishment remains a divisive issue on the national stage. Former President Donald Trump, a vocal supporter of the death penalty, has advocated for its expansion “for the vilest crimes” since his first day in office.

Just last week, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that federal prosecutors would pursue the death penalty in the high-profile case against Luigi Mangione, accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York on December 4.

As executions continue to be carried out using methods some deem archaic, the debate surrounding capital punishment in the United States is once again under a fierce spotlight.