Fort Hood Survivor Backs Gunman's Execution by Firing Squad but Opposes Livestream

A former US Army sergeant who survived the deadly 2009 mass shooting at Fort Hood has expressed support for executing gunman Nidal Hasan by firing squad, though he strongly criticized plans to broadcast the event to the public. Alonzo Lunsford, who was shot seven times during the massacre, stated that the firing squad is a befitting punishment compared to lethal injection, but warned that public broadcasts should not turn state executions into spectacle or entertainment.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Lunsford voiced profound concerns over the message a public broadcast would send to younger generations, arguing it should not be viewed uncensored by the general public. While he believes survivors and victims' families deserve to witness the execution, he questioned US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth's proposal to stream it. Lunsford stated, 'I think the method is befitting for him because the lethal injection—that's doing him a favour,' adding that he intends to attend in person to look Hasan in the eye.

Hasan, a former US Army psychiatrist, killed 13 unarmed military personnel and wounded more than 30 others inside a medical processing center at the Texas base on November 5, 2009. Lunsford recounted the horrific attack, describing how Hasan targeted unarmed personnel in a medical building, including a pregnant soldier who died pleading for her unborn child. The Pentagon's recent decision would mark the first US military execution in over 60 years and the nation's first public execution in nearly a century.

However, significant legal and political obstacles threaten to derail the proposed livestream before it can take place. Legal experts suggest the broadcast could be successfully challenged in federal court, while bipartisan lawmakers have denounced the proposal. Democratic Senator Chris Murphy called the broadcast plan 'disgusting,' and Republican Senator Thom Tillis stated that public executions are the hallmark of 'oppressive dictators' and should never happen in the United States.