South Carolina death row inmate Brad Sigmon, 67, has chosen execution by firing squad, set for March 7, which would be the first such execution in the U.S. in 15 years.

The state, which revived executions after a 13-year pause, offers inmates a choice between electrocution, lethal injection, or shooting.

Sigmon’s lawyers argue he was forced into an uninformed decision due to concerns over the state’s lethal injection secrecy and past botched executions.

Critics call firing squads cruel and torturous, while South Carolina defends its execution methods, The Guardian has reported.

Sigmon was convicted of a 2001 double murder, with his lawyers citing childhood trauma and mental illness in appeals.

Written by B.C. Begley