Pentagon says Fort Hood shooter's firing-squad execution will be livestreamed
The Pentagon says it will livestream the firing-squad execution of Nidal Hasan, the former Army major who killed 13 people at Fort Hood in 2009. No U.S. execution has ever been broadcast live, and the plan drew criticism from some Republicans. The execution is set for 1 p.m. on Dec. 3 at Fort Hood.
The U.S. military plans to put an execution on a livestream.
A Pentagon official said Thursday that the firing-squad execution of Nidal Hasan will be livestreamed, with more details to come, the Washington Examiner reported. Hasan, a former Army psychiatrist, killed 13 people and wounded 32 in a 2009 shooting at Fort Hood, Texas.
The execution is set for 1 p.m. local time on Dec. 3 at Fort Hood. That is the hour of the 2009 attack. "It's going to be soldiers with rifles executing the firing squad," Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told commentator Jack Posobiec. "We'll make sure that people are able to watch it, that it's public, because people need to understand that there's serious consequences for these types of things."
Hegseth called the choice of a firing squad a "no-brainer." Asked whether Hasan had made any final requests, he said, "Don't care."
Some Republicans object. Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican, said Hasan should be executed but called a public, streamed execution "beyond disgusting," Newsweek reported.
The rules may not allow a crowd. An Army regulation lists who may witness a military execution, including the prisoner's lawyer, a chaplain, family representatives and at least two media members. It does not include the general public, Newsweek reported. The Pentagon has not said where the stream will air. The Verge asked YouTube, TikTok, Meta and other platforms whether they would carry it, and none answered before publication.
How this fits: A military jury convicted Hasan on all 42 counts in 2013 and sentenced him to death. The Supreme Court turned down his last appeal in March 2025. The U.S. military has not executed anyone since 1961. Its last firing-squad execution was Pvt. Eddie Slovik, shot for desertion in 1945. No legal U.S. execution has ever been broadcast live, Newsweek reported.
What we know: Hasan is set to be shot by a firing squad at Fort Hood on Dec. 3, and the Pentagon says it will stream it.
What we don't: Where the stream will appear, and whether any court or Congress will try to stop it.
Where outlets agree Newsweek and the Washington Examiner both report that Hasan is set to be executed by firing squad at Fort Hood at 1 p.m. on Dec. 3.
Where they differ Rolling Stone says President Trump approved the execution on Monday, while Newsweek says Trump approved the death sentence on Oct. 2.