Fort Hood survivor responds as White House say execution of death row inmate will be livestreamed
A man who survived the massacre at the Fort Hood military base has shared his thoughts on the gunman's execution being broadcast live.
Controversially, the general public will be able to watch the pending death of Nidal Hasan via firing squad unfold, the Pentagon said on Thursday (8 October).
A former US Army sergeant who survived the mass shooting committed by the 56-year-old in 2009 has now spoken out about the decision - and why he believes it is 'not something you should view for entertainment purposes'.
Hasan is set to face the ultimate punishment on 3 December, nearly two decades after he killed 13 soldiers and left another 30 injured after opening fire at Fort Hood, a Texas military base.
Advert
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the execution would be available to 'watch' and described it as being 'public'.
Hasan, an army psychiatrist who held the rank of major, was left paralysed from the waist down after he was shot in the back during the incident as law enforcement attempted to subdue him. He now uses a wheelchair.
If it goes ahead, his death will mark the first military execution since April 1961.
Vice President JD Vance has announced he 'will not be watching' the firing squad put Hasan to death if it is livestreamed and appeared to suggest this might not go ahead.
"I don’t know that that’s actually going to happen," he said of the execution being shown to the public.
Vance then added of the conversation that has erupted around Hasan's execution: "So whatever the controversy is about the method of the execution, I hope that people don’t forget that this is a guy who brutally murdered a lot of innocent people."
Alonzo Lunsford, who was shot seven times at the Fort hood base, said he believes it it 'befitting' for Hasan to face the firing squad due to the nature of his crime.
However, he has raised concerns about the 'effect' and 'message' that livestreaming this moment will have on society, although he believes those connected to the case should 'be able to look at it'.
Lunsford told BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Friday (9 October): "To show the whole thing without it being censored for the general public, for me personally, I don't agree with that, but it's not about my personal belief.
"I'm gonna be there [to watch in person] and before they pull the trigger, I want him to look at me in my eyes and I look at him in his eyes and I want him to know: 'Dude you failed, I'm still here'.
"I don't really have any sympathy for him as far as firing squad vs lethal injection, hanging or gas chamber, because he didn't have that same compassion when he did the deed on 5 November [2009]."
What happened to Lunsford at Fort Hood
"I think the method is befitting for him because the lethal injection - that's doing him a favour," Lunsford went on. "Gas chamber? Is doing him a favour."
Lunsford, a Christian, said he has forgiven Hasan in order to 'heal', adding: "We're taught that with your last breath you can ask for forgiveness and I think that's what he should do."
Recalling the horror that unfolded at Fort Hood 17 years ago, the former military man said he had to 'play dead' to make it out alive.
Lunsford said he was 'two or three strides' away from an exit door when he felt the first bullet puncture him above his left eye, before he was then 'hit two more times' in his back.
Further bullets then rained down on him as Hasan continued his shooting spree.
Lunsford said the former US military psychiatrist 'took the coward's way out' by launching an attack at the medical facility at Fort Hood, as personnel did not carry weapons there.
Olivia Burke