‘Catch me if you can’ convict, who killed three victims in 2004, executed in South Carolina by firing squad officials

South Carolina authorities have executed the accused who killed three in 2004 and scrawled the message “catch me if you can” on a wall in the blood of one of his victims.

A South Carolina firing squad executed Stephen Bryant, 44, on Friday, the state's Department of Corrections said.

Bryant was convicted of killing three people during a crime spree in 2004, and pleaded guilty of the murders committed over five days in a rural area of the state.

Three prison employees bearing live ammunition volunteered to carry out the execution in the state capital Columbia. Bryant was pronounced dead at 6:05 pm on Friday. This is the third incident where a person died by this method in the state this year.

How did Stephen Bryant die?

According to a report by AP, Stephen Bryant chose to die by firing squad instead of lethal injection or the electric chair. While he did not make any final statement, the “catch me if you can” killer did briefly glance at the 10 witnesses before a mask was put over his head.

The shots rang out about 55 seconds later. Bryant made no noise. The red bullseye target that marks the location of his heart flew forward off his chest. He had a few shallow breaths and then a final spasm a little over a minute later. A doctor checked him with a stethoscope for a minute before he pronounced Bryant dead.

The South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC) said Bryant was restrained to a metal chair before the execution, placed 15 feet (five metres) away from a wall with a rectangular opening.

All three rifles were to have live ammunition, and an "aim point" will be placed over the condemned man's heart.

For his final meal, Bryant had spicy mixed seafood stir-fry, fried fish over rice, egg rolls, stuffed shrimp, two candy bars and German chocolate cake.

There have been 43 executions in the United States this year, the most since 2012, when the same number of inmates were put to death.

Thirty-five of this year's executions have been carried out by lethal injection, three by firing squad and five by nitrogen hypoxia, which involves pumping nitrogen gas into a face mask, causing the prisoner to suffocate.

The death penalty has been abolished in 23 of the 50 US states, while three others -- California, Oregon and Pennsylvania -- have moratoriums in place.

(With agency inputs)