Violent and sudden. What a firing squad
execution looked like through my eyes
Associated Press,
by
Jeffrey Collins
Original Article
Posted By: Imright,
3/8/2025 1:03:26 AM
Columbia, S.C.— I’ve now watched through glass and bars as 11 men were put to death at a South Carolina prison. None of the previous 10 prepared me for watching the firing squad death of Brad Sigmon on Friday night.
I might now be unique among U.S. reporters: I’ve witnessed three different methods — nine lethal injections and an electric chair execution. I can still hear the thunk of the breaker falling 21 years later.
As a journalist you want to ready yourself for an assignment. You research a case. You read about the subject.
In the two weeks since I knew how Sigmon was going to die, I read up
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Reply 1 - Posted by:
Trigger2 3/8/2025 2:28:44 AM (No. 1911000)
Simple. Don't do the crime and you won't be shot.
35 people like this.
Reply 2 - Posted by:
Petronius 3/8/2025 4:41:25 AM (No. 1911022)
Live by the sword, die by the sword.
22 people like this.
Reply 3 - Posted by:
SweetPea3 3/8/2025 5:02:11 AM (No. 1911030)
I'm thinking ol' Jeff might reflect differently if he were present at their victims' deaths as well.
42 people like this.
Reply 4 - Posted by:
erod111 3/8/2025 5:21:11 AM (No. 1911041)
This journalist sounds like a death penalty voyeur.
34 people like this.
Reply 5 - Posted by:
Jesuslover54 3/8/2025 6:09:43 AM (No. 1911073)
Remember, Brad Sigmon chose the death he thought would be easiest.
32 people like this.
Reply 6 - Posted by:
philsner 3/8/2025 6:44:00 AM (No. 1911098)
Was this person available to witness the accused killing people with a club?
25 people like this.
Reply 7 - Posted by:
nwcudagal 3/8/2025 6:54:00 AM (No. 1911109)
Idaho now has firing squad. Hopefully Brian Kohberger will be the first recipient.
26 people like this.
Reply 8 - Posted by:
Strike3 3/8/2025 7:38:03 AM (No. 1911133)
Whatever does the job is fine with me.
21 people like this.
Reply 9 - Posted by:
bpl40 3/8/2025 8:49:00 AM (No. 1911196)
I frankly don’t understand the point of this entire article.
24 people like this.
Reply 10 - Posted by:
BarryNo 3/8/2025 8:50:43 AM (No. 1911197)
I'm sorry... but almost any death that isn't a long drawn out release from the symptoms of old age or disease seem violent and sudden. What of it? We live, we die. Would you rather death come only after years of pain and agony? Aren't you nice! A Dr. Guillotine produced his contraption to humanize the process, and paid the price. Had it been available, and selected, would it have been better?
The choice of death for a death is long established law. Justice is for the benefit of the victim and society, not the criminal who has caused harm. The only tragedy occurs when corrupt justice and law enforcement personnel conspire to conceal or distort evidence to convict the innocent when the guilty cannot be charged. That is a tragic injustice!!
Death comes to us all. Only after death, comes judgement.
11 people like this.
Reply 11 - Posted by:
Rumblehog 3/8/2025 9:03:50 AM (No. 1911203)
Yeah puss, it's what SOLDIERS deal with in a war zone, everyday. And please, don't apply for "PTSD damage "as a result of your journo-witness program.
Ever since I became aware of this contentious issue, I've concluded that the strongest opponents of the Death Penalty should themselves be investigated for nefarious activities. After all, who would comprise the most vocal opposition other than those who contemplate, or do, things that would earn them a trip to the chair, needle, or firing range, like Voltaire, and Mumia Abu-Jamal? Most of those on Death Row today actively oppose the State performing "soul-extrication," believing that function to reside explicitly with "private party contractors," such as themselves.
Besides, "If ACLU be agin it then I be fer it."
9 people like this.
Reply 12 - Posted by:
snowoutlaw 3/8/2025 10:01:16 AM (No. 1911251)
Frankly I'm more partial to hanging murders.
3 people like this.
Reply 13 - Posted by:
JHHolliday 3/8/2025 10:05:30 AM (No. 1911258)
My late cousin, a Marine lieutenant during the Korean War, was given the task of assembling a firing squad and executing a fellow soldier who had raped and murdered a Korean woman. He mentioned it only once. Not the most pleasant duty but necessary.
8 people like this.
Reply 14 - Posted by:
BillsMafia49 3/8/2025 10:09:39 AM (No. 1911261)
Oh my, how sad ...
Boo freakin' hoo
5 people like this.
Reply 15 - Posted by:
kdog 3/8/2025 10:17:03 AM (No. 1911274)
Why go if you didn't want to see it? Not like you were just walking by.
2 people like this.
Reply 16 - Posted by:
Right Time 3/8/2025 10:30:04 AM (No. 1911292)
So, let's stop executing convicted murderers, but legalize full-term abortion?
5 people like this.
Reply 17 - Posted by:
Indy8166 3/8/2025 10:30:46 AM (No. 1911293)
The writer forgot the most important fact. Not one of these executed men ever committed another crime or harmed an innocent victim.
9 people like this.
Reply 18 - Posted by:
preciosodrogas 3/8/2025 11:49:44 AM (No. 1911348)
What an odd report. I agree with others he seemed to be a little too invested in the subject matter. I imagine his dance card remains blank. As usual the victims get the short end of it. With so many years having passed by, very little information was given about the brutality of the crime, and it must have been brutal to have justified a death sentence. Given that this a wide the lack of information detaches the murderer from the crime.
However, I think he did much to advance the firing squad as the better option.
2 people like this.
Reply 19 - Posted by:
DVC 3/8/2025 11:52:36 AM (No. 1911351)
A thousand words to cover what could be covered in paragraph. Such is professional writing when the boss tells you how much to write.
2 people like this.
Reply 20 - Posted by:
Ruhn 3/8/2025 11:53:46 AM (No. 1911353)
After voluntarily witnessing so many executions, I suspect that the author is a voyeuristic ghoul.
3 people like this.
Reply 21 - Posted by:
NYbob 3/8/2025 12:06:50 PM (No. 1911372)
I can't add a thing to #10s post. Excellent summary that trumps the usual crying from people like this 'journalist' who has some misplaced compassion for human monsters. If he wants to help society with this issue, he should hang around really crazy, dangerous, people and advocate ways of keeping them away from other normal humans.
1 person likes this.
Reply 22 - Posted by:
doctorfixit 3/8/2025 7:43:26 PM (No. 1911414)
Sob stories from Fake News media.
0 people like this.
Reply 23 - Posted by:
ussjimmycarter 3/9/2025 6:17:09 AM (No. 1911489)
Such a flowery slobbering about The Death Penalty! We didn’t invent it…God did!
0 people like this.
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