Fort Hood survivor backs firing squad execution, opposes livestream

Alonzo Lunsford, a former U.S. Army sergeant who was shot seven times during the 2009 Fort Hood shooting, told BBC Radio 4 that he believes the former Army psychiatrist Nidal Hasan deserves a firing squad, but that the execution should not be broadcast to the public.

"The method is befitting," Lunsford said, adding that lethal injection would be "doing him a favour" and he would not want the moment turned into a spectacle for entertainment. He pointed out the potential harm a livestream could have on younger viewers, yet admitted that survivors and families of victims should be allowed to witness how justice is served.

Lunsford explained that he currently forgives Hasan as a Christian, arguing that forgiveness does not equate to permitting the execution to become public entertainment. He emphasized the importance of a dignified execution—the kind a firing squad would provide—to give “closure” to those who suffered.

The Pentagon has announced plans to livestream the execution, which would mark the first public execution by the U.S. military in nearly a century. Legal experts warn there could be court challenges that might halt or modify the livestream, while lawmakers have expressed strong opposition to the idea.

Lunsford’s testimony, shared on Radio 4’s Today programme, is part of a broader conversation about how societies handle the deaths of those who commit mass atrocities and how the media can responsibly cover such events in both the physical and virtual worlds.