Man who witnessed first person to be executed by firing squad in the US in 15 years recalls what happened

A reporter who witnessed the death of Brad Sigmon behind a bullet-proof window has spoke about what it was like to watch on as the murderer was killed by firing squad.

Brad Sigmon spent over 20 years on death row before his final hours on Friday (7 March), as he became the first person to be executed by firing squad in nearly 15 years.

The killer, from South Carolina, chose to end his life this way, after his lawyers said it was 'barbaric' to make criminals pick the method of their death.

The reason he chose the method was because death by firing squad is said to be one of the quickest ways to die, taking significantly less time than what is needed for the lethal injection or electrocution.

Brad Sigmon in 2002 (Handout)

Sigmon was sentenced to death in 2002 after brutally beating his ex-girlfriend’s parents David and Gladys Larke to death and also attempting to kidnap his ex-girlfriend the year prior.

Associated Press reporter Jeffrey Collins, who was just one of three people from the media that witnessed the execution, has spoken out about the 'violent' experience.

In a statement, Collins said: "As a journalist you want to ready yourself for an assignment. You research a case. You read about the subject."

However, he later added: 'It’s impossible to know what to expect when you’ve never seen someone shot at close range right in front of you."

Detailing the experience, he noted: "The firing squad is certainly faster - and more violent - than lethal injection.

"It’s a lot more tense, too. My heart started pounding a little after Sigmon’s lawyer read his final statement.

The killer pictured more recently (South Carolina Department of Corrections)

"The hood was put over Sigmon’s head, and an employee opened the black pull shade that shielded where the three prison system volunteer shooters were."

He said it was just two minutes before they fired the first bullets, without a 'warning or countdown'.

Collins wrote: "The abrupt crack of the rifles startled me. And the white target with the red bullseye that had been on his chest, standing out against his black prison jumpsuit, disappeared instantly as Sigmon’s whole body flinched."

In a less than a minute, a doctor had pronounced the killer dead.

"Then we left through the same door we came in,” he added.

In Sigmon's last statement, he called for an end to the death penalty.

He said: "Nowhere does God in the New Testament give man the authority to kill another man. That is why the Bible is divided into the Old Testament and the New Testament."

Sigmon is the fourth person to receive this form of the death penalty since capital punishment was reintroduced in the US in 1976.