17 h. ago Lawmakers seek investigation into South Carolina's firing squad execution

Two South Carolina legislators are seeking an investigation into the state’s firing squad execution last month

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4 d. ago Killer executed by firing squad died in ‘excruciating conscious pain’ after bullet missed heart, report says

Mikal Mahdi, 42, was executed by firing squad, the second execution in South Carolina this year using the controversial method

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4 d. ago Killer executed by firing squad died in ‘excruciating conscious pain’ after bullet missed his heart, report says

Mikal Mahdi, 42, was executed by firing squad, the second execution in South Carolina this year using the controversial method

Events

5 d. ago Firing squad 'botched' death row execution as bullets all missed inmate's heart

Mikal Mahdi, 42, was executed on April 11 by firing squad. An autopsy has shown that Mahdi 'suffered' more than the estimated 10-15 second window he was supposed to

Events

5 d. ago Entire US firing squad 'botches' execution leaving death row inmate to die slowly

An autopsy has revealed that South Carolina death row inmate Mikal Mahdi 'suffered' longer than the 10-15 second window he was supposed to after being shot in the heart by a firing squad

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6 d. ago Revealed: Autopsy suggests South Carolina botched firing squad execution

Records obtained by the Guardian indicate shooters did not hit Mikal Mahdi according to protocol, which lawyers say caused prolonged sufferingA South Carolina firing squad botched the execution of Mikal Mahdi last month, with shooters missing the target area on the man’s heart, causing him to suffer a prolonged death, according to autopsy records and his attorneys.Mahdi, 42, was shot dead by corrections employees last month in the second firing squad execution this year in South Carolina. The state has aggressively revived capital punishment over the last seven months and brought back the controversial firearm method that has rarely been used in the modern death penalty era. Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago Lawyers for man executed by firing squad in South Carolina say bullets mostly missed his heart

A pathologist hired by attorneys for death row inmates says a South Carolina man executed by firing squad was conscious and likely in extreme pain for as long as a minute

Politics

7 d. ago Brit, 32, 'caught with kilo of MDMA' in Bali where drug crimes can mean execution by firing squad is hauled into court as trial begins

A British man has been hauled into court in Bali for allegedly smuggling a kilo of MDMA to the party island where drug crimes can result in the death penalty. 

Events

2 w. ago Shooting in Myrtle Beach as one killed and 11 injured amid tourist season chaos

A man has been killed and at least eleven people have been injured in a shooting that took place at a popular tourist destination in South Carolina, with police opening fire during the incident

Events

3 w. ago Death row drugs gran hugs grandchildren for the first time as family visit Bali hellhole prison

Lindsay Sandiford, 67, has spent 12 years awaiting execution by firing squad at the notorious Kerobokan Prison, having been found attempting to smuggle cocaine into the Indonesian island.

Events

4 w. ago The return of the firing squad is a defeat for death penalty supporters | Austin Sarat

The method is a vivid reminder of the brutality of state killing. That undermines the pro-capital-punishment narrativeOn 11 April, South Carolina executed Mikal Mahdi by firing squad. Mahdi had been convicted and sentenced for the 2004 killing of an off-duty law enforcement officer.One month before his execution, South Carolina put Brad Sigmon to death using the same method. He was the first person since 2010 to be killed by the firing squad. Both Mahdi and Sigmon chose the firing squad from a menu of three ways to die, the others being lethal injection and the electric chair. Continue reading...

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