'It's Not Like a Pay-Per-View Event': Fort Hood Survivor Blasts Plans To Broadcast His Attacker's Execution

Fort Hood survivor Alonzo Lunsford has condemned plans to livestream the execution of Nidal Hasan, the former Army psychiatrist who killed 13 people and wounded 32 others in the 2009 mass shooting at the Texas base.

Lunsford, who was shot seven times in the attack and lost most of the sight in his left eye, told NewsNation: 'It's not like a pay-per-view event.' He said broadcasting the convicted gunman's death on 3 December 2026 would disrespect those killed and wounded.

The former US Army sergeant intends to witness the execution in person but opposes opening it to a wider audience. President Donald Trump has said he will make the final decision on whether to livestream it.

The debate follows US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth's 8 October announcement that the military would make the execution publicly viewable.

Hasan, a former Army psychiatrist, killed 13 people and wounded 32 at Fort Hood on 5 November 2009. A military court convicted him in 2013 of 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder.

The Army has scheduled his execution by firing squad at the same military base, although further legal proceedings could affect the date.

Fort Hood Survivor Says Execution Should Not Be a Spectacle

Lunsford said his objection was not to the execution itself. Instead, he questioned why people with no connection to the shooting should be able to watch Hasan die.

'And it's disrespectful to the ones who have paid the supreme sacrifice, who are the real heroes from that battle that day. And then it's also disrespectful for the ones who survived,' he told NewsNation's Katie Pavlich Tonight.

According to earlier Associated Press reporting, Lunsford lost most of the sight in his left eye after the shooting. He said the occasion should not be treated as a public celebration.

'This is not something to be celebrated like it's a graduation or a milestone that has been reached. It's not that type of event, not whatsoever,' he said.

Hegseth presented a different argument when he announced the proposal. '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,' he said.

Children Among Fort Hood Survivor's Concerns

Lunsford also warned about the possibility that children and teenagers could see footage of the execution. His concerns focused on who might watch and how the event could be treated, rather than the conviction or sentence.

'This is not for their young minds,' he said. He added that the execution was not suitable for everyone to watch and should not be treated as a social gathering or celebration, despite Hasan having killed innocent people who were unable to defend themselves.

'It's not that type of situation. Because as a country, as a people, we're better than that. That's not what we stand for.'

Other senior figures have questioned the proposal. Vice President JD Vance said he was unsure whether the livestream would happen and that he would not watch it if it did. His remarks concerned the broadcast, not opposition to Hasan's sentence.

Fort Hood Survivor's Objections Echoed by Victim's Daughter

Keely Vanacker, whose father Michael Grant Cahill was killed at Fort Hood, also opposed broadcasting Hasan's death. She told The Spokesman-Review she learnt about the plan through social media.

'Livestreaming and taking joy in a tragedy that has deeply affected our family doesn't bring my dad back,' she said. 'This is a serious event and it's not there for people's entertainment.'

Vanacker criticised Hegseth for placing 'more attention on the killer rather than the families and the wounded'. Her remarks echoed Lunsford's concern that the planned broadcast would draw attention away from the people affected by the shooting.

George Stratton Jr, whose son George III was wounded at Fort Hood, expressed a different hesitation. He supports Hasan's execution but said he was reconsidering whether to witness it in person.

'It's kind of morbid,' Stratton said. 'I don't know if I'd watch it or not. The military asked me if I wanted to watch in person. At first, I said yes. But when they come back to me, I'll probably say no.'

Trump approved Hasan's death sentence on 2 October, according to the US Army, which subsequently announced the 3 December execution date. That approval is separate from the decision to broadcast the event.

After Hegseth's public announcement, Trump said: 'I know what the military would like to do, but we'll make a decision.'

For Lunsford, attending the execution and supporting its public broadcast are different matters. He said he hopes Hasan will use the remaining time to acknowledge what he did. 'Hopefully, he uses time to repent and to ask for forgiveness.'