Death row inmate suffered ‘botched’ execution after choosing method only used five times in 50 years

42-year-old Mikal Mahdi was executed on April 11, 2025, by firing squad in South Carolina, becoming only the fifth person in the United States to be put to death this way in the last 50 years. This method of execution is rarely used and is only legal in a few states like South Carolina, Utah, Idaho, Oklahoma, and Mississippi.

Mahdi was sentenced to death in 2006 after being found guilty of several murders, including the killing of an off-duty police officer named James Myers. When it came time to face his execution, Mahdi chose the firing squad over other options like the electric chair or lethal injection.

His lawyers said he believed the firing squad would be less painful than being burned by electricity or slowly dying from an injection that might not work properly.

However, after his execution, an autopsy report raised serious concerns that the process may have been badly handled. The report suggested that Mahdi did not die right away and might have suffered a slow and painful death.

His legal team said that instead of being shot in the heart, which would have caused a fast death, he was hit lower in his body, just above his stomach. They pointed out that there were only two bullet holes in his torso, even though three shooters were supposed to fire live rounds.

The Department of Corrections in South Carolina claimed that two bullets might have gone through the same spot, which is why only two wounds were found.

But Mahdi’s lawyers do not believe this explanation. They also said Mahdi was not officially declared dead until four minutes after being shot, even though a firing squad is supposed to cause death in about 10 to 15 seconds when done correctly.

Mahdi’s lawyer, David Weiss, said the autopsy confirmed what he had seen and heard during the execution. He said Mahdi went through terrible suffering, and nothing about the execution seemed humane.

He added that this raises serious concerns for others who might be forced to choose between different execution methods in South Carolina, especially if the state refuses to admit there might be problems.

In response to the claims, the South Carolina Department of Corrections denied any wrongdoing. They told The Guardian that all three guns fired at the same time and hit Mahdi’s heart, and that no leftover bullet fragments were found in the room. But Mahdi’s legal team strongly disagrees and says the state needs to be more honest and transparent about what happened.