A survivor of the 2009 Fort Hood mass shooting says a firing squad is a "fitting" way to execute the gunman, Nidal Malik Hasan — while firmly opposing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's plan to broadcast the execution live to the general public.
Retired Army Staff Sgt. Alonzo Lunsford, who was shot seven times in the attack, told the BBC's Today program that more conventional methods would be too lenient. Lethal injection or the gas chamber, he argued, would be "doing him a favor," because Hasan showed no such compassion when he opened fire on unarmed soldiers on November 5, 2009.
At the same time, Lunsford drew a clear line against streaming the execution uncensored. "To show the whole thing without it being censored for the general public, for me personally, I don't agree with that," he said, adding that it is "not something you should view for entertainment purposes." He said he worried particularly about the effect such a broadcast could have on young people.
Lunsford was working inside the Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center when Hasan, then an Army major and psychiatrist, opened fire on soldiers awaiting deployment processing. Hasan killed 13 people — including a pregnant private — and wounded more than 30 others before civilian police shot and paralyzed him. Lunsford survived by playing dead and then dragging another wounded soldier to safety.
Despite his opposition to a public broadcast, Lunsford believes shooting survivors and the families of those killed should be able to witness the execution privately. He confirmed he intends to be there in person when Hasan faces a firing squad at Fort Hood, scheduled for December 3.
"I'm gonna be there, 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,'" Lunsford said.
He has forgiven Hasan, he said, as a matter of Christian faith — but he stressed that he feels no sympathy for the gunman and that state justice should not become a public spectacle.
If carried out, Hasan's death would be the first U.S. military execution since 1961 and the military's first use of a firing squad since World War II. There has not been a public execution in the United States since 1936.
Much remains uncertain. It is unclear whether Hasan will appeal, and legal experts have suggested the execution could be delayed well beyond current expectations. Anticipated federal court challenges could also affect the Pentagon's livestream plan, which has already drawn bipartisan criticism in Washington and condemnation from the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
What is confirmed: Lunsford supports the firing-squad method, plans to attend in person, and wants survivors and victims' families — but not the general public — to be able to watch. What is unknown: whether the execution proceeds on schedule, whether the livestream survives legal review, and whether Hasan will pursue further appeals.