A South Carolina man convicted of bludgeoning his ex-girlfriend’s parents to death has become the first US death row inmate to be executed by firing squad in the last 15 years.

Brad Sigmon was shot to death just after 18:00 local time (23:00 GMT) on Friday by three volunteers firing rifles at his chest with specially designed bullets.

Sigmon, 67, was convicted of murdering David and Gladys Larke with a baseball bat in 2001 before kidnapping his ex-girlfriend at gunpoint. She managed to escape as he shot at her.

Sigmon had requested death by firing squad over the other two state-approved methods of execution: electric chair and lethal injection.

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