Fort Hood Survivor Backs Firing Squad for Hasan, Questions Livestream Execution

Alonzo Lunsford, a former U.S. Army sergeant who was shot seven times during the 2009 Fort Hood mass shooting, has voiced his support for the execution of gunman Nidal Hasan by firing squad, describing the method as "befitting" the crime. However, Lunsford expressed concern over the potential livestreaming of the execution, arguing it should not be presented for "entertainment purposes."

Hasan, a U.S. Army psychiatrist, fatally shot 13 unarmed soldiers and injured more than two dozen others in a medical building at Fort Hood on November 5, 2009. The Pentagon announced Hasan's execution earlier this week, which would mark the first military execution in more than 60 years. Legal experts have indicated that challenges to the livestream could prevent it from occurring.

Lunsford told the BBC that while lethal injection or a gas chamber might seem lenient, a firing squad is a more appropriate punishment. "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," Lunsford said. He added that lethal injection would be "doing him a favour."

Regarding the livestream, Lunsford stated that while he personally disagrees with broadcasting the execution uncensored for the general public, survivors and victims' families should have the option to view it. "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,'" he recounted.

Lunsford also shared his personal journey of forgiveness, stating, "We're taught that with your last breath you can ask for forgiveness and I think that's what he [Hasan] should do." He described the events of the shooting, recalling how Hasan jumped onto a counter, produced a weapon, and began firing. Lunsford was shot above his left eye and twice in the back as he attempted to reach an exit. He described playing dead until Hasan moved on, after which he escaped with another wounded soldier, only to be shot again by Hasan as they fled.

One particularly disturbing memory for Lunsford was hearing a pregnant woman's pleas. "We heard a gunshot and the last thing that girl was saying was: 'Oh my god, my baby, my baby,'" he said. Lunsford noted that military personnel do not carry weapons in medical facilities, characterizing Hasan's actions as taking "the coward's way out." He also refuted Hasan's claimed motives, stating that his interpretation of the Quran did not support Hasan's justification for the attack.

The prospect of a public execution has drawn criticism from some politicians. Democratic Senator Chris Murphy called the idea "disgusting," while Republican Senator Thom Tillis described public executions as a practice of "oppressive dictators" and stated, "It should not be happening in America."