# Pentagon to livestream Fort Hood shooter's firing squad execution > The military will broadcast Nidal Hasan's December execution, the first firing squad in over 65 years, raising questions about spectacle and the death penalty. - Title: Pentagon to livestream Fort Hood shooter's firing squad… - Summary: The military will broadcast Nidal Hasan's December execution, the first firing squad in over 65 years, raising questions about spectacle and the death… - Keywords: nidal hasan, fort hood, firing squad execution, pentagon, pete hegseth, military execution, death penalty, livestream, capital punishment, news, Fort, Hood - Source: NPR — https://npr.org/2026/10/09/g-s1-147419/fort-hood-shooter-execution - Published: 2026-10-09T00:00:00+00:00 - Read time: 2 min - Topics: nidal hasan, fort hood, firing squad execution, pentagon, pete hegseth, military execution, death penalty, livestream, capital punishment, news ## Pentagon announces livestreamed execution The Pentagon said Thursday that the firing squad execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan will be livestreamed, the first military execution in more than sixty five years. ## Hasan killed thirteen, injured thirty two Hasan was convicted of killing thirteen people and injuring thirty two others in a shooting at Fort Hood on November fifth, twenty oh nine, when soldiers were waiting for immunizations. ## Execution scheduled for December third The Army announced this week that the execution would take place at Fort Hood on December third after Hasan was convicted of the twenty oh nine shooting at the military base. ## Hegseth promised public execution Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told conservative TV outlet Real America's Voice on Wednesday that the execution would be public. He said, we'll make sure that people are able to watch it. > We'll make sure that people are able to watch it, that it's public. ## Livestream raises death penalty questions The revelation about the public execution has raised further questions about how the death penalty is carried out in the United States, especially after the botched lethal injection of Christa Pike in Tennessee. ## Hasan could delay execution with appeal Hasan could choose to resist execution and file a habeas petition in civilian court, which could significantly delay the execution, according to military law experts. ## Expert sees transparency benefit Deborah Denno, a death penalty expert at Fordham University, said livestreaming an execution could make the process much more transparent and inform the public about all that capital punishment entails. > I think it could possibly be a good idea because it would be transparent and the public would be fully aware that it's happening. ## Firing squad seen as more humane Brenner Fissell, a professor at Villanova Law, said firing squads are coming to be seen as a less inhumane alternative when states have difficulty carrying out lethal injections. > Firing squads can be a quicker, cleaner, more precise way to execute a prisoner. ## Expert questions government's motives Elisabeth Semel, co-director of the Death Penalty Clinic at UC Berkeley Law, said the government-instigated livestream raises serious legal and public policy questions about the defendant's dignity. > I don't recall a situation in which it was instigated by the government. I think that also raises serious questions about what is the motivation of the government. ## Trump previously criticized Iran executions Trump, who approved Hasan's execution, has previously been critical of public executions in Iran and used the possibility of protesters being killed as rationale for military action. ## Hasan appeared to seek death sentence At his twenty thirteen trial, Hasan fired his lawyers and represented himself. He told jurors he was the gunman, then said little else and made no closing argument, convincing his standby lawyers his goal was… ## Hasan lacked legal counsel at notification Attorney John Galligan said that when Hasan was notified Trump had signed off on his execution, the commandant brought a chaplain but no attorney from Trial Defense Service or civilian defense, breaching Army regulations. ## Last military execution was nineteen sixty one Hegseth said the military hasn't executed a service member by firing squad since World War Two. ## Key takeaway The Pentagon announced it will livestream the firing squad execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan on December third, the first military execution in over sixty five years, prompting legal experts to raise concerns about the government's motives.