Pentagon Livestream of Fort Hood Shooter Execution Sparks Outcry
Pentagon Livestream of Fort Hood Shooter Execution Sparks Outcry
Controversy erupts as the Pentagon plans to livestream the execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan. Public figures and religious leaders weigh in on the 'barbaric' decision.
A significant debate has ignited following the Pentagon's announcement that it plans to livestream the execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan, scheduled for December. Vice-President J.D. Vance expressed strong doubts on Friday (October 20, 2026) about whether the livestream would actually happen, and stated unequivocally that he would not be watching it if it did.
Vance, however, was quick to redirect focus, emphasizing that the controversy surrounding the execution method should not overshadow the gravity of Hasan's crimes. Hasan was convicted of killing 13 people and injuring 32 others in a horrific shooting spree at the military base in 2009.
So whatever the controversy is about the method of the execution, I hope that people don't forget that this is a guy who brutally murdered a lot of innocent people,
Vance remarked.
President Donald Trump, who previously endorsed Hasan's execution by firing squad, was more noncommittal when asked about the livestreaming. "Well, they're making a determination about that," he told reporters. Despite this, Trump reiterated his support for the firing squad method, stating, "He will be killed.
He will be, through firing squad. I really don't care how he goes, as long as he goes. And I think the death penalty is a very worthy way of going for him."
The decision has drawn widespread condemnation from various quarters. Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the U.S.
Conference of Catholic Bishops, sharply criticized the Pentagon's plan to publicly livestream the execution.
He described it as a "barbaric promotion of a culture of death and must be reconsidered."
This development comes shortly after a failed lethal injection attempt on Christa Pike in Tennessee prompted the state's governor to halt further executions for the year. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth noted that this would be the first military execution by firing squad since World War II, and the first military execution of any kind since 1961.
Lawmakers from both Republican and Democratic parties have also joined in, widely condemning the "gruesome" and "disgusting" nature of the decision to livestream and urged the Pentagon to reverse course.
