Survivor of Fort Hood massacre urges restraint before public execution

Alonzo Lunsford, a former Army staff sergeant who survived being shot seven times by Nidal Hasan during the 2009 Fort Hood attack, has warned Americans against treating the upcoming public execution of the condemned psychiatrist as entertainment. Lunsford stated that while he supports Hasan's death sentence and intends to witness the event, the act of taking a life should not be glorified or consumed like a spectacle.

The U.S. government plans to execute Hasan by firing squad on Dec. 3, 2026, at a range at Fort Hood. The decision to livestream the event has triggered debate across the political and religious spectrum. War Secretary Pete Hegseth defended the public nature of the execution, stating in an interview this week that Americans need to understand the serious consequences of such crimes. He confirmed that the department will ensure the public is able to watch the proceedings.

However, Vice President JD Vance cast doubt on whether the Pentagon will actually follow through with the livestream. Speaking to reporters on Friday, Vance said he had no intention of watching it himself and expressed uncertainty about whether the announcement would be realized. "I see these announcements. I don't know that that's actually going to happen," Vance said.

Opposition to the livestream has come from Republicans who support the death penalty itself. Rep. Austin Scott, R-Ga., wrote on X that while he supports the death sentence, live-streaming executions is a practice associated with jihadists and that America is better than that. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., also supported Hasan facing the death penalty but described publicly streaming it as "beyond disgusting," comparing public executions to practices in oppressive dictatorships like Iran and Afghanistan.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has opposed both the execution and the decision to make it public. Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the conference, said on Friday that the decision is a "barbaric promotion of a culture of death" that must be reconsidered. He argued that publicly executing even a grave criminal would undermine the moral fabric of the nation.

Counterterrorism expert Matthew Levitt, director of the Washington Institute's Reinhard Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence, raised national security concerns regarding the footage. Levitt warned that making video of Hasan's death widely available could provide terrorist groups with material to splice into radicalization propaganda. He stated there is no tangible benefit to live streaming an execution and that it may exacerbate the terrorist threat.

Lunsford, who was paralyzed from the waist down by Hasan's gunfire in 2009, has since found purpose in coaching basketball and mentoring young people. He said he does not want children watching the livestream but believes adults can make their own decisions. He emphasized that watching an execution is not a casual activity to be done while grilling meat outside.

During Hasan's 2013 court-martial, Lunsford locked eyes with him. He wants to look at Hasan again before his death to convey a personal message. "My message to him: Dude, you failed," Lunsford said. He added that he hopes Hasan uses his final moments to apologize and repent for his sins and crime.