South Carolina executes Mikal Mahdi, convicted cop killer, by firing squad

South Carolina carried out the execution of Mikal Mahdi, a 42-year-old man convicted of the 2004 killings of an off-duty police officer in Calhoun County, South Carolina, and a convenience store clerk in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Mahdi was sentenced to death for the murder of the police officer and life in prison for the clerk’s murder. Despite appeals being denied by both state and U.S. Supreme Courts earlier in the week, Mahdi was executed by firing squad on Friday.

Mahdi had the option to choose between lethal injection, the electric chair, or firing squad, and he opted for the latter. The execution involved three prison employees who volunteered for the act, firing shots at Mahdi after a hood was placed over his head. He was pronounced dead in less than four minutes. Prior to his execution, Mahdi requested a last meal of ribeye steak cooked medium, mushroom risotto, broccoli, collard greens, cheesecake, and sweet tea.

In 2006, Mahdi admitted to killing off-duty Orangeburg Department of Public Safety Capt. James Myers, 56, on his property in 2004. Myers was found shot multiple times and burned in a shed near a gas station where Mahdi had attempted to use a stolen credit card. Mahdi also confessed to the murder of convenience clerk Christopher Boggs three days prior to killing Myers.

Mahdi’s lawyers made a final appeal to the South Carolina and U.S. Supreme Courts, arguing that Mahdi was not adequately represented during his trial. They claimed that his original lawyers failed to present key witnesses who could attest to Mahdi’s character and upbringing. Prosecutors, however, painted Mahdi as a violent individual who resorted to brutality to solve problems. They cited incidents of violence he committed while on death row, including stabbing a prison guard and attacking another worker with a concrete block.

Mahdi’s execution marks the second time a South Carolina inmate has been put to death by firing squad in the past five weeks and the fifth execution in the state over the last eight months. With 26 inmates currently on death row in South Carolina, Mahdi’s case has reignited the debate over capital punishment in the state.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.