Fort Hood Survivor Criticizes Livestreaming of Nidal Hasan's Execution
A victim of the 2009 Fort Hood massacre, shot seven times, expresses opposition to publicizing the planned execution of Nidal Hasan, while still desiring justice.
Alonzo Lunsford, a former Army staff sergeant who survived being shot seven times during the 2009 Fort Hood massacre, has voiced strong reservations about the U.S. government's plan to livestream the execution of perpetrator Nidal Hasan. Hasan, an Army psychiatrist at the time, killed 13 people and wounded 32 in the attack. His execution by firing squad is scheduled for December 3, 2026.
Lunsford, who plans to attend the execution, stated that while he has forgiven Hasan, the prospect of turning the event into a public spectacle is troubling. "It's not a spectacle," Lunsford told Fox News Digital. "There's nothing glorified in the smell of human flesh, blood and gunpowder. It's a smell you will never forget. It's a taste that you will never forget."
He emphasized that such an event should not be treated as entertainment, stating, "We as a people, we're better than that. This ain't no country where we do public beheadings and stonings and think it's fine." Lunsford believes that publicizing the execution dishonors the victims and heroes of the attack. "Don't do that because when you do that, you're dishonoring those that made the supreme sacrifice, those who are no longer here. Those are heroes."
The decision to livestream Hasan's execution, the first by firing squad in the U.S. Army in 86 years, has drawn criticism from various political figures and organizations. Vice President JD Vance expressed skepticism about the plan, stating he had no intention of watching it himself. Republican Representatives Austin Scott and Senator Thom Tillis criticized the move, comparing it to practices in oppressive regimes and calling it "beyond disgusting."
Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, opposed both the execution and its public nature, calling it a "barbaric promotion of a culture of death." He argued that public executions undermine the nation's moral fabric.
National security concerns have also been raised. Matthew Levitt, a former Treasury counterterrorism official, warned that making footage of Hasan's death public could provide terrorist groups with material for propaganda and radicalization efforts. "There's no tangible benefit to live streaming an execution, and it may, in fact, exacerbate the terrorist threat," Levitt stated.
Despite his personal trauma, Lunsford recounted playing dead after being shot multiple times by Hasan and eventually escaping. He has since found purpose in coaching and mentoring young people. Lunsford expressed a desire to look Hasan in the eyes during the execution, to convey that his attack ultimately failed.
"I want to look at him in his eyes. I want him to see me — man to man," Lunsford said. "My message to him: Dude, you failed." He hopes that Hasan uses his final moments to repent and apologize for his actions.
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