South Carolina executed a convicted murderer by firing squad on Friday, the first use of the method in the United States in 15 years.

Brad Sigmon, who admitted to killing his ex-girlfriend's parents, said he chose to die by bullets because he considered the other choices offered by the state to be worse.

The last time such an execution took place was 15 years ago, in Utah. The South Carolina inmate chose the method because of his concerns about lethal injection, his lawyer said.